Of the Sun and of the Moon
by Darev
Summary: Princess Stella invites Brandon to Solaria for one incredible night full of festivities, but things don’t go as planned and this night is quickly turning into a nightmare.
1. The Princess and the Pauper

**Summary: Princess Stella invites Brandon to Solaria for one incredible night full of festivities, but things don't go as planned and this night is quickly turning into a nightmare.**

**Concept: A short story based on Brandon and Stella. My story, "White" is doing so well that it has inspired me to write more. This is the longest chapter I've ever written, surpassing my previous holder, "Damned" in terms of pages. This short story is something I hope you'll enjoy reading. Rated T for some violence and swearing. Don't get turned off by the OC's, they're just here for antagonistic purposes. Oh, and it you need a setting it takes place sometime during season two.**

**In this story, I want to explore the relationship between Brandon and Stella; NOT in their feelings toward one another but rather how their characters reflect the type of person the other has fallen in love with. These people are from two different worlds, both literally and figuratively, so how can their relationship possibly work? Here is a glimpse into their respective beings.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Winx, there would be a fourth season. There! I said it!**

**Reviews: Love it, hate it. It's up to you. Just be clean and respectful, the same treatment you'd expect from me.**

* * *

_Solaria, Kingdom of Splendors. For centuries this exotic realm has prospered despite the rigorous infighting between its diverse peoples. The monarchy was established to put an end to the wars, but that didn't mean there was no longer dissent within the ranks. Assassinations were common in the early years of the monarchy, as were various attempts that almost drew the kingdom into civil war; but an alliance of the two most powerful factions, the kingdoms of the Sun and the Moon, saw and end to those days by marrying a prince and a princess from both sides and that was the beginning of the Royal Family which as ruled Solaria to this day._

_Princess Stella, heir to the throne of Solaria, is descended from this royal line. While it is common for children of the Moon and Sun to have powers from both bloodlines, Stella's abilities derive entirely from the Sun. This unfortunately has led to strife within the House of Moon and most particularly with Queen Tranquiless, Stella's mother. While her blood ran through her daughter's veins, Stella's lack of lunar powers caused a rift to develop between them. At the behest of her House, Tranquiless has returned to her homeland and severed her marriage with King Radius. In secret, she had quarreled with her former husband about how to rule the kingdom. Radius was liberal, Tranquiless was conservative. Their differing views drove them apart and they divorced._

_This was kept secret from Princess Stella; the lady being told it was only marital problems and nothing else. But as she tries to make peace with their separation, Solaria is going through some troubling times. Unknown to her, there are powers at work that seek to change things in Solaria which they view as a Sun-dominated realm. Only time will tell whether this wondrous kingdom will survive until her coronation; if it she even gets that far._

* * *

The Princess and the Pauper

When Stella invited Brandon to Solaria the day before the specialist had been undergoing a rigorous training program. His cell phone rang out in the middle of class; a freshman mistake, but Brandon had been running late and as such completely forgot to turn the damned thing off. Codatorta was none too pleased with the interruption and stopped the class so that he could reprimand the fool who forgot to turn off his wretched cell phone. That fool was Brandon and when he admitted it Codatorta went over to his personal belongings, took out the phone and answered it.

Brandon could still recall his reaction as he spoke to the person on the other end. It was Stella, the Princess of Solaria and Brandon's girlfriend. Codatorta mockingly greeted the girl, explaining that Brandon was training at the moment but would stop what he was doing just for her because she wanted to speak with her "snookums." He actually said SNOOKUMS in front of the whole class. Handing the phone to Brandon, amid the snicker and taunts of his fellow students, Brandon spoke to Stella who apologized for disturbing him. "I hope I didn't get you into any trouble." She said.

"No, no." Brandon began. "Just provided my friends with ample ammunition for a future verbal bashing, is all. They thank you for it."

"Glad I could help." Had she known he was being sarcastic he could not tell. "So listen, snookums…"

Brandon could feel his face reddening with each passing second. Codatorta and the other students were watching him. Riven, the sweet and dear friend that he was, led the pack in a chorus of jeerful taunts which Codatorta allowed just to emphasize the lesson. This break in discipline ended soon after as the combat instructor ordered the class to get in line before turning his full and awful attention toward Brandon who looked ridiculous standing rigid while holding a cell phone in his right hand. "Uh…Stell,"

Codatorta took the phone and spoke for him. "I'm sorry, Miss Princess, but your snookums has to be leaving now. He has a very important date to keep with the griffon's cage this very moment. Yes…of course…I'll be sure to inform him about your missing lip gloss. Yes, I will tell him to check his pants. His underwear drawer as well, yes."

_Gods kill me now…_

"My pleasure, dear. Goodbye." He hung up.

The boys, try as they might, could not help but chuckle. Riven's smirk was the greatest and he spared one quick glance at Brandon. Out of the corner of his eye Brandon could just make out the look in his friend's face which told him, "I'm gonna get mileage out of this one."

_Where's a witch invasion when you need it?_

Codatorta stepped up to him, towering over the young specialist by a good foot and a half. With a gesture he placed the cell phone in Brandon's hand and took a step back. "Brandon, please be kind to report to the griffon's cage in ten minutes. Ol' Bessy has missed your time together. I'm sure you two would love to get re-acquainted. Am I right?"

"Yes, sir." Brandon sighed.

"Alright! Partner up. If I don't see you pushing each other you'll be pushing floor." At his command the class split up and divided into pairs for sparring.

Now is when Brandon shut off his phone. "Hey, Brandon." Prince Skye came up to him with a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The guys will forget about this in a couple days."

"Don't bet on it." Riven who had been standing nearby said.

"If Riven let's them that is."

Brandon shook his head. "Dude, it's okay. Stella just gave me some great news."

"What about?"

After telling him, Skye's face lit up. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"That is great news. Wish I could say the same but I promised Bishop I'd help him in javelin practice tomorrow."

"Good thing I didn't plan anything for the weekend. I just wish she called at a better time."

"Speaking of which." Riven tripped his opponent and turned to face them. "Shouldn't you get going, snookums?"

"Bite me, Riven." Brandon turned to Skye. "Talk to you later, bro."

That was yesterday afternoon.

Skye had offered to take him to Solaria via Red Fountain's inter-realm starcraft. This was a major favor since Skye was using up his flight hours to help him out. Normally the school didn't allow the use of its ships unless the matter involved hero business, but being the best pilot at Red Fountain with a spotless record allowed the prince of Eraklyon a few perks.

"I appreciate this, Skye."

"Come on. The least I can do is drive you to your first real date with your main squeeze. Besides, any chance I get to pilot one of these babies isn't something I'd pass on."

"A date? You know, I never really thought about it."

"Boy. Girl. Together. Alone. Pretty much self-explanatory."

"What I mean is…Stella's different, you know?"

"Believe me I know. When I'm around Bloom I can't even think straight. It's like when we're together nothing else matters."

"That's exactly it." Brandon regarded his friend with a newfound respect. "This whole love thing is second nature to you isn't it?"

"Not necessarily. Being a prince I had to court many young women and learned the finer points of male-female interaction. It's a professional skill, really, but it doesn't prepare you for the real thing."

"When you meet that special someone," He continued. "Who likes you for who you are…well, there's nothing like it."

"I'll say. When Stella found out I wasn't really a prince I thought she'd dump me."

"She's unique, Brandon. Most princesses are so stuck up they won't even look at you unless you're wearing a crown. Believe me I know."

Their ship passed through a nebula at this moment. Skye took the time to look his friend over. "You look like you're ready for a night out on the town. I can't remember the last time you dressed so well."

And dressed well Brandon was. He wore dress shoes, black and shined to an eye-watering sheen with no laces. His slacks were beige with a nice red-brown belt holding them up. The belt had a fancy golden emblem on the front, an eagle holding a shield with a spear in its beak, the symbol of the Eraklyonite Royal Guard.

He had on a nice long-sleeved brown shirt with slight indentations along the texture. His hair was combed, he was clean-shaven; no doubt about it, Brandon was dressed to kill!

"I aim to please."

"I don't think Stella will be disappointed."

"Careful, bro. If I wasn't sure I'd think you were hitting on me."

"You're not my type. Too ugly."

"Ouch."

"Now Bloom on the other hand,"

"Save it." Brandon laughed. "I know where this is going."

"What do you mean?"

"Long legs, flowing red hair, smooth white skin, big blue eyes…"

"Brandon…"

"Come on, man, we're guys. I know the deal. Don't get me wrong, I like Stella for a lot more than her looks."

"But," Skye pressed."

"Some things are just instinct."

"So you check out her butt every now and then?"

"You know it."

"Great. Glad I'm not the only one."

Brandon looked at him.

Gasping, "I mean with Bloom! Not that Stella's isn't,"

The look became harder.

"I don't mean…whoa…I'm just gonna pilot the ship now." He sank into his chair a little bit.

Then Brandon broke into laughter. "You're lucky I'm not Riven, bro." He sat back and watched the nebula through the main screen. It was an exotic shade of purple. Maybe he'd bring Stella back here one day. Perfect place for a romantic interlude.

They broke free of the nebula and in mere moments the planet Solaria loomed before them. The system's sun was just waning over the horizon. Its brilliant sparkle reminded Brandon of Stella's perfectly golden eyes.

"Coming in for a landing." Skye alerted the ground control and after receiving landing clearance put the ship in a steady descent. The capital city was booming with activity even as the light faded. This was no ordinary night for the citizens of Solaria were celebrating the Solar Solstice Festival which kicked off in the evening. Brandon could hardly contain himself as the royal palace of Solaria came into view.

With expert skill, Prince Skye landed the Red Fountain vessel onto the landing platform with barely a tremor. "Well, we're here."

"Thanks a lot, Skye." Releasing his belt, Brandon stood up and went for the exit.

"I'll swing by at o-one-hundred hours to pick you up. That should give you enough time to take in the sights, sounds and," He clicked his tongue. "Pleasures."

Brandon turned to him as the ramp touched the floor. "Gotcha."

"Just be sure not to be late. Even on the weekend we're not supposed to keep the ship out beyond o-two-hundred. Codatorta's been on the warpath ever since Riven crashed his ship on that jungle planet."

"Don't worry. I'll be here."

"Tell Stella I said hello." Skye waited until he was on the ground before retracting the ramp and closing the hatch. Lifting off, he turned the ship around to get one last look at his friend and waved goodbye.

"Take care, bro." Brandon waved in return.

The ship blasted off and in seconds was back in outer space.

"Brandon, I presume?" asked a haughty rather annoyingly sounding voice.

The specialist turned to see a tall man wearing royal garbs. He was thin, kind of gangly and yet carried himself with the step of a man with utmost confidence. He had thin, peach colored hair wrapped into a short ponytail behind his head. His eyes were thin, actually squinting despite the lack of sunlight and he liked to blink a lot. From what Brandon could tell his eyes were a light green, possibly lime, with very dark pupils. He appeared young, no more than fives years older than Brandon with a rigid stance that would make Codatorta proud. He wore a splendid burgundy jacket that looked very expensive with white cuffs at the sleeves, over a white buttoned shirt. His pants were also red, but more crimson leading down to a pair of very fancy black shoes with golden straps.

He looked like something out of those paintings from a long time ago. But he had to remind himself that in some kingdoms this attire was still very much in style. He just never thought Solaria to be one of them.

"That's me." He walked up to the aristocratic man and extended a friendly hand. "Nice to me you."

The feeling, it seemed, was not mutual for the man did not return the gesture.

"Princess Stella awaits your arrival in the promenade. Please, follow me." With that, he turned and walked away.

Brandon checked his hand to make sure it wasn't sweaty or dirty or anything else. These royals had a knack for spotting things like that. Hell, they could spot a pencil stain on a black shirt from ten paces away. One could not help but be amazed at that kind of observance. His experiences with Skye taught him that. The prince would often check Brandon over before they attended any royal gatherings and always seemed to find that one minor blemish that for some reason remained invisible to his naked eye.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Brandon shrugged and began to follow the escort.

They passed dozens of servants putting up decorations for the Solstice Festival. The halls were lined with banners and placards and a variety of other ceremonial standards. Braziers lit up the interior of the palace as during the festival all forms of modern technology were put aside in favor of a more traditional setting. Servants sped by with trays full of the finest delicacies. Attendants laid out the rugs and polished every picture frame, column, doorknob, pillar and doorway that Brandon could lay eyes on. Soldiers of Solaria donned ceremonial armor, beautifully crafted gold steel complete with red-jeweled helmets; all of whom bore finely-crafted halberds as they stood at attention. Shouts came from down the hall as a host of servants sped past their little entourage carrying what appeared to be several hand-made dresses and scented oil.

The whole place was a complete madhouse. It reminded Brandon of the grand balls the king of Eraklyon held back home. How he loved it!

His escort took him up a flight of stairs, nearly being run over by handmaidens in the process—just Brandon, not the aristocrat—which lead to the palace's top floor. It was here that many of the wealthier members of the palace resided and Brandon could not help but gawk at some of the outlandish clothing he saw.

"Do not stare." His escort ordered as if having eyes at the back of his head.

Brandon complied despite the harshness of the command. He was an easy going guy and it took a great deal to get him riled up. He just shrugged off bad attitudes and focused on the positive, it's how he maintains his sunny disposition. Riven was his mirror opposite in that aspect. Funny he should be thinking of him at this moment. Guess it had to do with his escort. The guy was rude and downright unfriendly. Just like Riven.

Why is it some guys just love being jerks? He asked himself.

His escort opened up a door that led to the promenade, an open-air walkway that stood outside the palace. It was there that an irate, blonde-haired fairy was pacing back and forth while arguing with someone on her cellular phone. "I don't care how much of an inconvenience it is for you. You should of thought of that before waiting the day before to go get my pumps. Now either they're on my doorstep before the evening is through or you can find yourself another job!" She angrily shut it off.

Stella was wearing a red blouse with no sleeves with a zipper down the back. She wore form-fitting green pants pulled up at the bottom to show off her pretty ankles. Naturally, she had on open-toed sandals. Her hair was as illustrious as always and her eyes were always sparkly. It brought up the picture of the Solarian sun as it disappeared behind the planet. Like twin stars, they lit up her face.

"Brandon!" she rushed into his arms.

"What's up, Stell?"

She pulled away. "When did you get here?"

"Few minutes ago. Skye dropped me off."

"That was nice of him."

"Yeah."

"Ah-hem." The escort grunted. "Begging her majesty's pardon but isn't it about time you readied yourself for the Solstice?"

"Ooh, right." She looked at Brandon. "I have to get dressed now, sweetie. Make yourself at home, alright?"

It was when she was about to go back inside that Brandon remembered he had wanted to give her something. "Stella, wait."

The escort's hand reached out and blocked his pursuit. "The princess is about to get _dressed_. In all modesty I believe it best you remain here."

Stella looked at Brandon from behind the escort. "What is it?" she asked him.

He looked from her to his guide and decided it was not the best time. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay. Be right back."

As Stella left, Brandon went over to the railing overlooking the palace grounds. It was a beautiful night for a festival and he could not wait to spend it with the girl of his dreams. He reached inside his pocket to feel the item he meant to give to her. Fumbling it in his pocket, Brandon sighed and waited, thinking for the hundredth time how he wanted to explain this to her and praying the words would not come out wrong.

* * *

Brandon waited as patiently as any dutiful boyfriend would for his woman. He played with the thought that Stella was making herself look beautiful for him, but he brushed it aside as soon as it came up. The mere notion made her sound one-dimensional. From the very first time he had met her, Brandon found Stella to be a very confidant and independent young woman who looked good for herself and nobody else. A day didn't go by when she didn't present herself as fashionable as possible and one could only wonder if she ever had a bad hair day in her life.

Brandon had heard stories. Woman and bad hair days. Not a good time to be in the same room with one.

But as male-centered as it sounded he just loved being around her. Her scent, her smell, her smile, her eyes, her butt…_whoa! Where'd that come from?_ Brandon looked around as if someone had just called his name. Her butt? Then he thought about it. She did have a nice butt and he'd be a fool not to admit it to himself. He'd often find himself staring at it when he thought she wasn't looking. It was so round and firm…

_Damn, I've been hanging around Skye too long._

One conversation about Stella's butt and all of a sudden that's all he could think of.

Come to think of it, Skye did mention Bloom's butt. He wondered how long he would stare at hers whenever she turned around. Ten seconds? Maybe fifteen? Did she ever catch him looking at it? What did she say? What did he say? Bloom was well-endowed. Not as well as say Flora or Stella or Layla but…heh-heh…that Layla.

_Stop that!_

His eyes darted around like a spotlight of accusation had just landed on him. Over by the doorway, his guide watched him bemused. This was the second time he saw Brandon look around all nervous. What was going through that pauper's head, he wondered?

Had he known, Brandon may very well have wound up in the royal dungeon for his impure thoughts. Was it a crime in Solaria? Probably not. But still a man was a man. Surely even the king found his mind wandering from time to time. Brandon could not be punished for what he was, could he?

Of course not. Stella had a very nice butt. And it was his butt now. Well not yet but someday. Eventually. Maybe. Hopefully…

_Does Stella ever think of my butt?_

He placed a hand on his rump as if making a comparison with hers. Guys were built differently which had him thinking how do girls rate butts? With guys it was all about the rump. The plumper the better. So what did girls look for? It had to be masculine so something—rigid? Stern? Strong? Powerfully stocked? Yeah, that sounded about right. Girls admired strength in a man so the butt would be no exception.

Brandon felt one of his cheeks testing the thickness that would melt the heart of any feral young woman he happened to pass by. Not bad, he thought. He touched the other one. _Hey, I'm packing._

The he remembered he wasn't alone.

Pausing, Brandon looked over at the escort whose eyes stared at him dumfounded. It was only then he realized he still had both hands on his rear end and withdrew them as quickly as if they had just burst into flame. Not knowing what to do, Brandon searched for someplace to hide, a particularly deep ditch or bottomless pit would do just fine but he found none so he turned away, putting his back to the man who was still shaking his head in disbelief.

_Damn!_ He mentally cried, placing both hands in his pockets. He could feel his face reddening up and desperately looked for something to draw his attention. _Okay, okay. He's the only one that saw you so calm down and just look away. Hm. See some guards on patrol. That's good. The fountains are up and running. How nice. I think I see a caterer picking up some dog's poop, well that's just plain wrong. Ooh, look! Handmaidens. They look so nice in their flowing pink gowns. Just look how they hug their hips and caress their firm, round………………dammit, there you go again!_

"No butts. No butts."

"Begging your pardon, sir." His one-man entourage began to say. "Would you like a spot of tea while you await the princess' return?"

"Uh…sure…why not?"

He stepped back, fetched a handmaiden who had been standing nearby and ordered her to retrieve something to calm the obviously disturbed boy. The girl returned with a tray bearing a small white glass and a teacup. She set it on the table before politely pouring it for him and begged him to make himself comfortable. He thanked the girl with a smile, had a seat and as she left he…_damn_ his male hormones…looked…, "No butts, Brandon! No butts!" He said and gulped down the hot beverage so fast his tongue almost vacated his mouth.

Time passed and the princess did indeed return. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Brandon." He heard her say from behind the escort.

Brandon was already on his fifth cup, taking care to only sip the tea this time—for which his tongue was very grateful – and stood up to greet her. Only to almost loose his footing once his eyes fell upon the most stunning creature he had ever seen.

It was an old dress to be sure but damned if it did not stop his heart. In honor of the solstice, Stella adorned a gown the color of golden harvest. It didn't sparkle as so many modern outfits did, but she shined nonetheless. So similar was it to her own complexion that the two seemed as one with only a gentle crease or fluttering hems here and there reminding Brandon that she was wearing anything at all. The dress was sleeveless, exposing her slender shoulders and her delicate arms bore a gold bracelet each. Most striking of all was her long blonde hair slung over one shoulder in an elaborate multi-knotted ponytail. She wore orange lipstick, bearing the perfect smile. Then there were the eyes.

Like a siren of legend, Stella had captured his mind, body and soul all in one sitting.

Smiling, Stella did a full turnaround so that he could take in the whole dress. "Do you like it?"

"Oh yeah." He quickly composed himself. "I mean, yes. I think it's wonderful."

Brandon's royal escort stepped up beside Stella to address him. "Would the gentleman prefer to step into more, ahem, applicable attire for the night's festivities?"

"Oh, Renault, he looks just fine as he is." Stella, in very un-princess-like manner, rushed over to Brandon and grabbed his arm. "You look great, snookums."

"Thanks."

Renault raised an eyebrow, not totally agreeing with the princess. He could not even begin to understand what she saw in the lad. When news had reached the palace about Stella's new "boyfriend" the entire court was aghast. He was a bodyguard, a squire no less. To think their royal highness would sully herself and the family name by associating with his kind. It was that Alfea School. The headmistress had yet to instill proper lady etiquette in her students and this was the result. The queen was right in suggesting they send her to the prestigious Beta Academy but Princess Stella wanted to go to Alfea and what the king's daughter wanted she received.

He kept those musings to himself for though Solaria was an enlightened kingdom there were still punishments for undermining the king's decisions, particularly when it came to his daughter.

"Indeed." Was all he said. "Will the princess require my services?"

"Nope. We're good."

That slang. She spoke like a commoner.

"Very good." Renault bowed and took his leave closing the doors behind him.

"Nice guy." Brandon said.

"You think so? I always thought he was too uptight." She led him over to the balcony where they had a view of the surrounding forests and the city far beyond. Few lights shone as most forms of technology were turned off in honor of this ancient festival. Everyone and everything about this event spoke tradition and Brandon suddenly felt very out of place indeed.

"Maybe I should take him up on his offer."

"What the clothes? Pff." She scoffed. "You're fine. Trust me, not everyone dresses like an elf to these things."

"But wouldn't it be disrespectful?"

"Honey, I'm the princess. Just stick next to me and everything will be fine."

"I kind of stand out, Stella."

"So everyone will see what a good-looking guy my Brandon is."

"I don't think it's me they'll be looking at."

"Oh, you're sweet." She pecked him on the cheek and he blushed. "I'm so glad you could come. This wouldn't be fun without you."

"Really?"

"These things are such a bore. All that old music and medieval dancing just puts me to sleep. Everyone talks funny and we eat weird food from ages long past. Then the chroniclers begin telling stories about ancient legends and battles and kings and dragons to which the crowd responds with a, 'hazzah' every time he reaches a climatic point in the story. Then we sit down on the floor around small campfires and talk history and folklore before some jester comes by telling jokes that were funny a thousand years ago…"

Brandon hung on her every word. "…and then there's a joust where nobles,"

"Joust?"

"Yeah. It's when two guys use mounts to charge at each other from across the field,"

"Nice." He muttered.

"What?"

Call him old-fashioned but Brandon loved traditional combat. In fact, everything about this festival intrigued him. He used to dream about the old stories he read about in books. Now he had a chance to live it. "You know I used to joust back at home."

"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes. "Try not to have too much fun at the party, hon. You fit in too well and people may forget you are a guest of her royal highness."

"I'll try to contain myself." He lied. This party was going to be off the hook. "Oh, by the way." He reached into his pocket.

The door opened and Wanda, the official palace messenger of Solaria, appeared. The blonde-haired girl wore an outfit befitting the Solstice ceremony though it was in no way near as striking as Stella's. She bowed accordingly before addressing her princess. "Princess Stella, your father awaits your presence in the courtyard. The festivities are about to begin."

Stella pretended to beam with excitement and told Wanda she and her consort will be arriving shortly. Brandon didn't much like the title "consort" as it suggested something truly intimate. But this was her realm and Stella knew what she was doing. At least, he hoped she did. He would hate to spark an inter-realm incident between Solaria and Eraklyon over something as trivial as not showing up at the party in the wrong clothes. For all he did know, they weren't allowed to wear shoes.

He seriously considered finding Renault so that he could take him up on his offer to dress for the occasion but Stella had other plans. "Come on." She grabbed his arm and they were on their way.

* * *

King Radius was as his name implied. He was a shining king, tall, proud, noble and extremely refined. Under his benevolent rule, Solaria had prospered and was one of the richest kingdoms in all the realms. Just to be in his presence one could feel the power radiating from this man. He was always in a crowd because the crowd followed him. Even in his ancient kingly attire he was no less majestic. Nobles and monarchs parted before him and those that did not follow whispered in awe at his passing.

Yes he was truly a sight to behold.

As was Princess Stella when she arrived with…oh dear…is that _him_?

Two hundred pairs of eyes suddenly fell on the brown-haired youth beside the lovely princess. In his life, Brandon had been in many crowds, had attended many parties. But never had he felt as self-conscious as he did in that moment; arm-in-arm with Stella, standing in a vast courtyard filled with hundreds of people all who abruptly ceased what they were doing to stare at the couple.

He leaned close to Stella so that only she would be able to hear over the deafening silence. "I don't think they like me." When he spoke it was through a forced smile and grit teeth. His walk became stiff as if on stilts. It was rather comical to watch; like the princess being escorted by a mindless automaton.

King Radius broke the silence once he saw his daughter. "Stella!"

"Daddy!"

"Daddy?" Brandon mimicked. This was the first time he had ever met the King of Solaria and boy did he feel small.

Father and daughter embraced. "You look wonderful my dear." Said the king once they parted.

"Thanks, daddy."

He looked over her head. "Stella, who is this?"

"This," she pulled Brandon in closer to meet her father. "Is Brandon. He's the boy I told you about. The Red Fountain specialist."

"Brandon, yes." He looked him over.

_He doesn't look happy to see me._

The king's gaze froze him in place and he could not move. Stella saw this and nudged him with her elbow. "Say hello."

"H-hello." He stuttered, bowing as he did so. "Your majesty."

Stella sighed. "He's shy."

"I thought he'd be taller from the way you described him."

"Uh…sorry?" Brandon innocently asked, slowly looking up.

"Quite timid for a hero."

"Hero in training. He's still a novice."

_Damn, Stella, little support here._

"He's really good, though. I've seen him tangle with monsters and wrangle dragons. He even helped my friends and I to save the universe from the forces of evil. You should see him fight. He's the best swordsman at Red Fountain."

_Thanks, Stell._

"I see." Said the King. "No stranger to the blade, then?"

"Not this guy."

"Has he defeated foes in single combat?"

"You mean like a duel?"

"Yes."

"Well not that I know of. His friends Skye and Riven pretty much mop the floor with him during their training sessions."

_That's the last time I ever let Riven take my messages!_

"But he's still one of the best in his class."

"Hm." Radius studied Brandon who was still bowing. "Rise, my boy." He obeyed. The King looked him square in the eye and asked, "Do you plan on becoming a knight when you graduate from the academy?"

"Yes, your highness."

"May I ask, what drew you to becoming one in the first place?"

"It's a noble profession, your majesty." He answered truthfully. "I've admired knights since I was a boy and have been inspired by their tales of heroics and bravery. When I got the chance to attend Red Fountain nothing could stop me. I've learned so much there and I know when I am knighted it will be the happiest moment of my life."

"Next to meeting me, of course." Stella added.

Brandon nodded.

Radius heard his answer and a big smile crossed his face. "Very good. I'm sure you'll make an excellent knight one day. Perhaps, if you wouldn't mind, you can give us a demonstration of your battle techniques in a joust."

"I'd be honored, your majesty."

"Wonderful." The king suddenly realized that all activity had stopped when he addressed the youth. "Come now! Music! Dance! Let the Festival of the Solar Solstice begin!"

At once the entire crowd let up a cheer and the party was on.

Brandon was relieved now that the king had accepted him. Nobody could question his being here now. His mood brightened and he turned to Stella. "See. Everything turned out alright." She said.

"So far, so good."

"Excuse me."

Both turned to see a pretty young noblewoman dressed in a red gown. She had light brown hair pulled into a bun above her head. Her eyes were forest green, quite beautiful and yet the manner in which she looked at them was a bit disturbing. But her mannerisms were intact as shown when she curtsied. "Greetings, Princess Stella. I am the Lady Ophelia from the Corona province. We've met once before during your thirteenth birthday. I gave you a golden tiara fit with an emerald."

The princess recalled one such gift and the pretty young girl who gave it to her. "Oh yeah. I remember you. You had braces back then, didn't you?"

"Heh. The princess has a good memory." A tone in her voice revealed she was none too pleased with that little reminder. Ophelia ended her curtsy to face the princess and her boyfriend. She stared at the latter who was frozen in place by her sparkling green eyes. Only Stella's eyes ever made him tense up like this. It was more than just the beauty. Something about the intensity in them made Brandon think twice before making any sudden movements.

"Hello, Brandon." She said. "Welcome to our beautiful kingdom."

"Thank you, Lady Ophelia." He politely bowed and quickly turned to Stella with a look that asked, "Friend of yours?" Her eyes told him otherwise. _Hm, guess she didn't like her present._

"I hear you're from Eraklyon, is that right?"

"Yes."

"Is it true you impersonated the prince during your first year in school?"

"Well…kind of, you see,"

"And the Prince of Eraklyon pretended to be a commoner?"

"Yeah."

"How dreadful."

"Well it wasn't so bad. Skye and I,"

"Skye? You mean the prince?"

"Uh-huh."

"He allows you to call him so informally?"

"Skye's my best friend."

"And the king allows this?"

Stella had heard enough. "Thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the party. Try the punch." She shoved Brandon away. Ophelia watched them go with unfriendly eyes.

"What was that all about?" Brandon asked when they were out of range.

"Her family's the conservative type. They're not too pleased with the liberal direction my father is leading the kingdom. When he began making reforms, theirs was the loudest voice in protest and they even threatened to secede from Solaria if he carried them out. Fortunately my mother, who is a shrewd negotiator, managed to keep that from happening. But things haven't changed." She glanced at Ophelia who had already disappeared into the crowd. "You know that tiara she gave me at my birthday party was actually made of bronze covered in gold paint."

"So?"

"So?! Corona's one of the wealthiest regions of our kingdom. Their wares are sought out throughout the realms. The lords and ladies all done the finest jewelry, most of which is made from solid gold. Their family despises us so much that they insulted me by bringing a fake golden tiara."

"Least it had a nice emerald."

"Florescent glass. Damn thing broke the first time I dropped it."

"Oh…"

"Let's just forget about her. Far as I'm concerned she's just a political nuisance I'll have to deal with once I've taken the throne."

Though his best friend was a monarch, Brandon could not even begin to imagine the pressure and responsibilities that awaited Skye when he became the king. Now here he was with a girlfriend who would one day rule her own realm and inherit problems that made his own seem insignificant by comparison. They would one day hold the destiny of entire worlds in their hands with millions looking to them for guidance. All Brandon had to worry about was himself and the family he sought to build one day.

"You're so lucky, boo. You don't have to worry about politics or keeping the peace between your subjects. It's just you and your sword against the world." As if reading his mind, Stella was convinced that Brandon had the better part of the deal Life dealt them.

"A hero has his own challenges."

"Such as?"

"Like winning the heart of a beautiful princess."

"You're doing a good job so far."

"I aim to please." Taking her hand he kissed it.

"_Tres bien."

* * *

_

As a lady of the House of Corona, Ophelia was duty-bound to attend the celebration at the royal palace. She paid her respects to the king, said all the right words, made all the proper gestures and rightly greeted the princess of Solaria. Now that that was out of the way she can begin moping on the sidelines.

Of all her obligations as a member of the royal court there was nothing she despised as much as being around the king and his spoiled offspring. Ophelia was a true princess of Solaria. She remained true to the ancient set of laws passed down by the monarchy since centuries passed. Tradition, it seemed, meant little to the current royal family and it pained the proud lady to see the kingdom of her mothers and fathers desecrated by the "open-minded" changes of King Radius and Princess Stella.

It was bad enough Stella consorted with commoners…now she was dating them!

She thanked the gods her mother, the Lady Cecilia, was no longer around to see what had become of Solaria. The duchess had passed away just before Ophelia's eleventh birthday. On her deathbed, she told Ophelia to keep to the ancient ways, making her promise to stand up for what made Solaria a great kingdom. King Radius may be too strong for her to challenge now, but one day he would step down so that his daughter may ascend the throne. She could handle Stella. Gods knew she did not know how to run a planet.

The Heavens knew the havoc that bumbling bimbo would generate once she has the crown. Blowing up a school lab was one thing; blowing up an entire city to create a new shade of pink was just up her alley.

_Queen Stella_. Bah! Now there were two words that did not belong together.

This was a joke. The Fates had seen it prudent to test her patience with each day. She had only met Stella once before but not a day went by when she didn't read about her, hear her name mentioned, or witness one of her handiworks on beloved Solaria. The peasants were losing respect for the royalty because of her actions! One wondered when open rebellion would set in and the people would cry out for democracy.

Like the common folk had any idea how to govern themselves. Preposterous. _Preposterous!!!_

"Lady Ophelia."

A deep and sultry male voice brought the lady out of her musings. It belonged to a rather dashing young nobleman with wavy blonde hair that flowed like a curtain around his head and neck. He had stunning emerald eyes, the color of the finest gemstones mined in the province of Corona which Ophelia most fancied. He had white skin, almost ivory, and a height indicating a man of Northern descent. His yellow vest and white under-shirt did little to hide the muscular physique within and when he bowed it was with the most grace Ophelia had ever witnessed.

"Lord Cathan." She said. One of Solaria's most eligible bachelors and among the finest duelists in all the realms. "A pleasure." She said and really meant it.

"The pleasure is all mine." Cathan arose and how he towered over the lady. "Forgive my intrusion but it seemed as if you are not quite taken with the festive mood of the gathering. May I inquire as to what is troubling you?" His speech suggested years of study among the finest of scholars.

The lady looked away; more to hide her blush from this most handsome of suitors than to shroud any indications of her woes. "It is…nothing." She could not speak to him of the princess. It was high treason to even think such musings let alone speak of them. This was most prudent among the nobility for such talk could lead to unrest and possibly war. Commoners never realized the fine line their leaders walked.

"Surely something troubles you. I may be able to relieve you of your burdens if you allowed it. Perhaps, over a drink?"

She had accepted before he even extended his hand to her. "That would be appreciated, thank you."

"Your presence is all the thanks I need."

They walked to a table near one of the great fountains where a tender poured them some of the finest wine. Technically, Ophelia was still underage but tonight saw many of the restrictions lifted. Cathan on the other hand was well within his rights to request wine and what gentleman would not offer such splendid nectar to a beautiful lady?

She took the offered cup, smelled it first as was customary, and then had a sip. "It is lovely."

"From the finest vineyards in Solaria." Cathan said as he escorted Ophelia to a seat right by the fountain. "Now what troubles such a fine lady of the court?"

She felt she could trust him. Lord Cathan was known to be an honorable man who held to many of the ancient beliefs of their people. She had heard that like herself he was none too pleased with the way things were going. Perhaps in him she would find a soul akin to her own. "I fear for the future of our kingdom."

"How so?"

"It is the princess and her father, the king. Solaria is in danger of losing its identity and the Royal Family appears to be at the center of it."

"Go on."

Taking another sip, Ophelia continued. "The princess, she poisons her father's ear with talk of greater freedom for the peasants. She tears down many of our ancient institutions and replaces them with malls, video arcades and night clubs."

"Detestable." Cathan spat and Ophelia was shocked at his outburst. She'd known him to be an upfront man but to so openly agree with her about something so controversial was surprising and relieving at the same time.

"Then you feel the same way?" She dared to ask.

"I grieve for Solaria. When I see what is happening to our once proud people I feel betrayed by the monarchy I've sworn to protect. Children are no longer taught to respect the nobility. The concepts of chivalry and honor are not seen as the foundations of our society. Foreigners poison us with alien concepts while our borders have grown so weak that ogres and trolls pass through them daily. Once we had the finest army in the realm, now our soldiers are more concerned with polishing their armor then their fighting skills. How can we expect to defend ourselves from our enemies when those who are meant to protect us fail to uphold the martial ways of our ancestors?"

The Lady Ophelia beamed. "Then you understand."

"I do. More than I care to admit. But I cannot deny my distress over the fate of our beloved Solaria."

"A fate which will be out of our hands once the princess assumes the throne."

Cathan's look sent shivers through Ophelia. It was an inquisitive gaze, one that attempted to read her much like one would study a passage in a book that forced you to read between the lines. Ophelia has spoken to him but now Cathan wanted to truly understand her; to read between the lines of this most attractive book. "You and I are two of a kind, my lady."

"And I know your strength will prove instrumental in saving our kingdom one day, Lord Cathan. But I fear that day has not yet come."

"Your pardon?"

"King Radius himself has welcomed the pauper the princess has taken as her suitor. There is nothing we can do to challenge this outrage. It seems the princess had struck another blow to the pride of Solaria with her despicable display of affection for this man."

Cathan looked the crowd over for the boy known as Brandon. It wasn't difficult to spot that mop of unruly brown hair, try as he might to pretty it up, in the sea of properly attired men and women. He and Princess Stella were conversing with members of the Royal Court. It was disgusting to watch. They spoke to him as an equal. _As an EQUAL!!!_

"He is an obstacle."

"What do you mean?"

Cathan smiled at her. "As you say, the king has welcomed him to the court. Chivalry demands we obey his decision."

Ophelia's face saddened.

"However," his strong fingers raised her chin. "Honor demands he earn that privilege."

"I…I don't understand."

Cathan knelt before her and kissed her hand. His green eyes mimicked her own in beauty and splendor. "For you and for all of Solaria."

* * *

Princess Stella could not believe how well Brandon fitted in with the crowd. But then again, she should not be surprised. He was charming and smart, not to mention very handsome; always a plus in her book. Brandon did grow up around royalty. His best friend was the prince of Eraklyon and who knew how many events such as this he had attended. Brandon was probably as much at home with the royals as he was out on the battlefield or traveling the deepest reaches of space.

He was also cultured. Not as much as Skye, she knew, but still he had enough sense to know how to speak to someone based on their social status. Frankly, Stella didn't believe status had anything to do with how people should treat one another, but unlike her Brandon had something to prove and so he put on his best "blue-blood" face and spoke of history, music, art and even poetry.

He quoted stanzas from one of a duchess' favorite poems and how she swooned over him. _He has them eating out of his hands._ Stella barely said anything at all, which was rare for her as any of her friends would attest to. She just smiled and hung around Brandon while he delighted the guests with stories of his training at Red Fountain. She even learned things about his past that he never told her before. Or could it be he was just making that up? _Did he really battle a Redwood Dragon using only a shield and a broken-off sword?_ Like who cared? They were eating it up.

"It was a really tough fight. Whoever said giants leave you alone so long as you don't bother them obviously never encountered one during its mating season. To think we actually went through the trouble of saving it from plummeting off a cliff and what thanks did we get? A giant club knocked our ships from beneath us and he tried to stomp us to death. I tell you, no other team of specialists at Red Fountain are more wary around the beasts than mine. In fact, we've had more encounters with giants than any other team in the school's history."

"And what are your companions like?" Asked a middle-aged baron with a blue beard and balding head.

"Prince Skye is our leader. He's the heir to the throne in Eraklyon, as I've said before. He's very brave and is always willing to help out those in need. Timmy is our resident genius. Best mechanic in the school and no one knows his way around a computer like him, except maybe his girlfriend. Anyway, the last one is Riven and he's, well…gruff."

"Gruff?" A young woman in a pink dress said. "Is he a dwarf?"

"No. But he acts like one. And has manners of a troll."

That made everyone laugh.

"Tell us of your battle against the three witches." A young man in the back said.

"Well what is there to say except,"

"We kicked their butts!" Stella exclaimed. All eyes turned to her but she didn't flinch. Being the princess she could get away with certain things and expressing herself was one of them. "With a little help from us Alfea girls."

"But weren't you scared?" Asked another listener.

Brandon smiled coyly and tilted his head to one side. "Not really. It was tough for a while but we knew we could handle them."

_Barely._ Stella thought. She didn't remember the battle as fondly as he made it sound. But boys did like to brag. Beating their chests as a gesture of their manhood. She had to admit they did play an important part in that fight, fending off the Army of Decay while Bloom and the rest of the Winx Club battled Icy, Darcy and Stormy. And since they did not have any magical powers, and managed to fight side by side with the witches and fairies, who was she to deny him or his fellows their props?

"The Trix were so full of themselves that they couldn't fathom they'd be defeated by an alliance of their enemies and former classmates. When it came down to it, we were just stronger and our bravery eventually proved their downfall."

"And yet they still managed to overtake two of the three school of magic without much of a fight."

The voice was powerful and yet soothing, much like a father's voice would sound to a young child. The crowd parted to admit a very tall, blonde-haired man with pale skin take center stage. Brandon noticed a startling similarity between him and Skye with the only major exception besides his height was the color of his eyes. It seemed that everyone else knew the man for a wave of awe-inspired whispers filled the air. Brandon turned to Stella who he found mesmerized by the approaching Adonis. "Cathan." She muttered in a voice bordering reverence.

"Who?"

Cathan stepped up to the pair and before anyone could say anything he made a sweeping bow, with one hand raised and the other on his stomach and introduced himself. "Lord Cathan, Duke of Serenity and member of the Royal House of the Moon." He stood up and even from three feet away he towered over Brandon and Stella. "An honor to see you again, princess."

"Ditto." Stella said and felt her heart palpitate looking into his eyes.

Cathan regarded the princess with respectable eyes though the look hardened when they fell on Brandon. While he was smiling, the duke did not seem all too pleased with this one. Brandon felt the air grow cold and could swear he saw his breath. Fighting back the chill, Brandon started to bow but Cathan extended his hand. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Brandon of Eraklyon."

"Oh…same here." Brandon took his hand. Perhaps it was the strength of his grasp or the fact that his hand was freezing, but either way he cringed when he did so. "P-pleasure's all m-mine." He stammered doing his best to hold himself together.

"Likewise." He released his hand, to Brandon's joy, and addressed the two of them. "May I say what a fine couple you two make. I do not recall seeing such a refined pair in all my days."

Stella perked up. "Thanks." She grabbed Brandon's arm with both hands. "I always knew we were made for each other."

"Indeed." Cathan looked at Brandon. Again with a cold stare and fake smile. "Tell me, son of Eraklyon, what titles do you hold back in your realm?"

"Titles?"

"Positions. Places of honor. Surely a warrior of your accomplishments must hold some standing with the throne?"

"Does best friend to the royal heir count?"

"Hm," Cathan thought. "Never heard of that one. Do you have an estate back on Eraklyon?"

"I live in the palace."

"But you have no land?"

"Plenty of dirt in the world for everyone. Don't you think?" The curl in Cathan's eyebrow told Brandon he did not.

"I see." Cathan began to pace around Brandon and Stella like an encircling predator. "So, you have no estate, no titles, no honorary position within the royal court, but your actions are admirable. I daresay I have never met a young man with so many deeds to his name and has yet to be given the proper respect that is due to all men of accomplishment." He stopped in front of Brandon, his side facing him, and turned his head to one side as if looking at something particularly odd. "Surely the king and queen of Eraklyon have heard of your exploits. I bet they plan to knight you as soon as you graduate."

"I didn't join Red Fountain to become famous." Brandon spoke a little defensively but kept his friendly exterior. "That's not what a hero does."

"A hero you say? Well," Cathan paced again. "Heroes have songs written about them. Poems and sonnets. Statues erected in their honor. At the very least word of their feats have reached the far reaches of the universe and their names are spoken in reverence. Tell me, Brandon of Eraklyon, has your name attained such veneration?"

Now Stella spoke up. "Forgive me, Lord Cathan, but Brandon is a true hero. He is the bravest person I have ever met; he's also kind, selfless and dutiful to the point where he doesn't even call me because he's on a very important mission and puts that before everything. I can't say I agree with that last part but he's still a hero to me."

"Indeed." Cathan smirked all the more. "What say you to that, Brandon? Surly you can speak for yourself. Are you a hero?"

"Hero…probably wasn't the right word." He admitted. "I am a specialist in training who dreams of one day becoming a knight."

"A knight, you say? Very impressive. Then your fighting skills must be quite profound."

"I know my way around a sword."

"Your weapon?"

"Broadsword."

"Broadsw…" Cathan stopped. He looked at the back of Brandon's head unbelievingly after hearing this. Then he chuckled. "Such a barbaric weapon. Fit only for cutting down trees."

"Many monsters would disagree with you, Lord Cathan." Brandon's voice held a hint of annoyance.

"And how many witches have you slain with this sword of yours?"

"That's it!" Stella turned to face Cathan head on. All the admiration in her face was gone and she was tired of having her boyfriend being interrogated. "Duke of Serenity, who are you to question my guy's bravery?"

"I am merely trying to discern whether he is a hero or not?"

"What does killing witches have to do with heroism?"

"He fights the forces of evil, does he not?"

"Not all witches are evil?"

"Really?" He looked at Brandon. "Is that why your friend bedded one?"

Now Brandon turned on him. "My friend was spelled."

"He consorted with the enemy."

"Riven's no traitor!"

"But did he not turn on you and your friends in Magix?"

"He was spelled!"

"Some would call that weakness."

"Knock it off!" Brandon growled.

Cathan stepped back and held up his hands as if accused of something he was innocent of. "I am merely making an observance."

"Well observe someplace else." Stella said. "Good evening, Lord Cathan." Her last statement was to signify the end of the conversation.

The duke bowed his head. "Forgive me if I have offended you."

"I said GOOD EVENING."

Cathan bowed. "Princess." He peeked up. "Brandon." With that, Cathan strode away with a big smile on his face.

Brandon clenched his fists as he watched the tall man go. The crowd looked at Brandon in a different light now, not so much admiring anymore as pitying. Cathan had brought up good points of what it meant to be a hero and while Brandon seemed like a good lad he had yet to achieve that status. Begging their leave, the guests parted leaving him with the princess.

"Don't sweat it, snookums."

"Jerk." He spat. "I hate guys like that."

"Just because you're royalty doesn't mean you have manners. That's something Bloom told me after we met Diaspro."

Brandon eased up. "She was right." He smiled again. "Come on. I need a drink to wash away the bad taste in my mouth."

* * *

Ophelia waited for Cathan to rejoin her by the fountain. He seemed content when the lady saw him and she inquired as to what happened between her and the new couple. "What has happened, my lord?"

"I've simply set the wheels in motion, dear lady."

"Wheels? I do not understand."

Taking her hands in his as he did before, Cathan looked deep into her eyes. "I have taken steps to ensure the future of our kingdom. Soon all will be well."

"It…will?"

"But of course. You needn't worry about Solaria any longer, Lady Ophelia." He leaned in so that only she would hear him. "I'll take care of everything."


	2. I Just Want to be with You

**About the OC's: Lord Cathan and Lady Ophelia are the primary antagonists of this story. Their quarrel with Princess Stella and the king stems from the age-old conflict of the old versus the new which every nation in history has had to deal with at one point in their development. They see Princess Stella as the real enemy not because they hate her as a person but rather because what she is doing to their beloved kingdom. While some of their methods may seem cruel and dastardly, which I'll admit they are, the two are simply trying to protect what they cherish most. In this respect don't think of them as villains but rather as victims of the changing times. Now I know some of you will hate Cathan once you read this chapter, but he is not a Baltor or a Darkar. He believes he is protecting Solaria though unfortunately, Brandon is the crux of his plot.**

**About the Queen: Lady Tranquiless, the former queen of Solaria and betrothed to King Radius. I got the name from the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. Real original, right? I promise to delve more into the break-up between her and the king a little later.**

**About the Story: It's going great so far. I wrote this chapter in a single day simply because I was on fire! Not literally of course but that's writer slang for "inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks and my fingers danced across the keyboard." Don't worry though, I checked my grammar and re-read this piece several times. But please feel free to alert me of any mistakes I may have missed. This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous though is still longer than "Damned". I'm quite proud of it. As for progression, I think two more chapters will suffice before the conclusion. Let me know what you think.**

**-Knight**

**---**

I Just Want to Be with You

Stella said that she didn't much like these traditional festivals and for good reason; they were so tacky. Colors clashed in such frequency that she felt as if she were in the middle of battle and honestly she couldn't tell which side she should be rooting for. It pained her eyes to look on such atrocious designs_; oh, honey, that color scheme went out ages ago;_ never mind the bizarre hats and baggy pants the so-called "nobles" tried to pass off as fashionable. Stella had seen something like this before – in her nightmares. Once she dreamed she was being chased by a large brown hat with a red plume on top. The hat had teeth and the plume had turned into a scorpion's tail. Every few seconds it would take a swipe at her while the hat attempted to devour the princess. For some reason, and she concluded that this was due to a nightmare's twisted sense of humor, she had been wearing six-inch pumps. Try running from a forty-foot carnivorous hat up a rock strewn hill with pumps and not wake up sweaty in the morning.

The only thing more annoying than the attire was the music. It's times like these she wished Musa were here. She may not always agree on the spunky girl's taste in music, but she knew how to liven up a party when the task called for it. From rap to reggae, hip-hop to salsa, Musa was the hit of any party which made her question even more the wisdom of pairing up with the world's ultimate party pooper. Never understanding her interest in Riven, Stella attributed it to good looks because that was all Riven had going for him. The specialist had an attitude that would kill any relationship bar none. It's a wonder that Trix, Darcy, stayed with him as long as she did even under her spell.

Her taste in men aside, Musa would have found some way to brighten up this archaic excuse for a party. She should have invited her…but then again, she might have brought Riven along. _I'm gonna see if I can get her and Jared back together again. They made such a lovely couple. Way better than her and Riven._ Stella mused on the ways she would do just that. _Time to start planning Operation Ditch the Zero and Get with the Hero._

A horn blared out all of a sudden.

_This_ is what she hated most. How could anyone from any time in any realm consider that music? Every time that horn blew, a baby ogre cried.

A passing band of "musicians" witnessed Stella's distress and, thinking their princess needed some cheering up, made their way to her and began playing in a circle with her in the middle. _Brandon! Help! Damsel in Distress!_

Where is Brandon anyway?

He went off to fetch refreshments several minutes ago and had yet to return. Unless there was a line at the stand or he had stopped to regal a maiden about his many exploits at Red Fountain, of which for his sake he'd better not, there was no reason for him to be taking this long.

"Lovely! Lovely!" She shouted over the ruckus of the instruments. "Thank you! Excuse me, please!"

Stella barreled her way out of the circle of woe and bumped into her father. "Oh!"

"Stella." King Radius held his daughter. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, daddy. Just looking for Brandon."

"What gentleman would leave a lady such as you unattended? That boy has a lot to learn about chivalry."

"I asked him to get me a drink." _Ten minutes ago._ "He should be back very soon."

"There's a line of refreshments at my tent. Why don't the two of you drink there? It would be far less crowded and is located beside the musical troupe."

Which is why Stella avoided the tent altogether. "I want Brandon to get a real taste of what Solaria has to offer so we're mingling with the locals. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. I want you to have as much fun as you possibly can." A sudden thought crept its way into the king's brain and he realized that authorizing a teen girl to have "fun" with a prospective suitor nearby wasn't the wisest statement a father can make. "But…er…not too much fun."

"Daddy." Stella playfully shoved him. "It's not like that."

"Times have changed, Stella."

"I'm still your little girl."

_And how I wish you could remain that forever,_ Radius thought. Not long ago he had ordered her first diaper changed and now she was leaving the nest and going out into the world. How beautiful his daughter had become. It pained him to know that someday she would be leaving, her wings taking her to places he could not follow, and he grieved inside. But that did nothing to diminish his pride. Stella would be a wonderful ruler. Wise, kind, attending to the needs of the people, she would lead Solaria into another Golden Age. If only her mother had seen it that way.

"Daddy?"

King Radius had a distant look in his eyes as if he had left the party while leaving his corporeal form behind. It took the warmth of his daughter's hand on his face to bring him back. "You okay?"

Gently, Radius cupped her hand in his. "I am, dear. Just thinking of your mother is all."

"Mom? What for?"

"Reflections." Was all he said before his face brightened all too fast for her liking. "I hope you and your boy are hungry because our chief has made a feast of such delectables that would make a dragon's belly roar."

"I know Brandon's in." If I can find him, she thought.

King Radius smiled at the princess one last time before walking away. Images of his former wife played out before him. Queen Tranquiless, his love no longer. If Stella only knew the truth of why they had divorced; it would kill her or at the very least scar her for life. How can a woman of such profound wisdom be so ignorant? Their last argument played in his mind. The king stopped and turned his gaze upwards. The moon shone brilliantly in the night sky. Whenever he gazed upon that celestial body he would think of her…

…the beautiful woman who had broken his heart.

* * *

"Brandon!" Stella called.

"Brandon!" This search was getting tiresome. It was only after some deliberation that paranoia began to settle in. Could something have happened to him?

She reminded herself that Brandon was a capable warrior and likely to bring about misfortune to those attempting to do him harm. But he was known to drop his guard around females. Particularly those who batted their pretty eyes and pursed their lips.

"I swear if any harpy has laid a finger on him, I'll,"

"Hey, Stel." Brandon materialized from behind the crowd of people. In his hands he held two mugs of a pale red liquid, the scent of which Stella knew all too well.

"Is that Solarian Ale?"

"Solaria's Finest!" The boy boasted. "Least that's what the vendor told me."

"Like hell it is!" Stella felt like gagging just being near the stuff. She never did much care for alcoholic beverages and while her kingdom was quite lenient about the age where a juvenile could sample the fruit of the vine it was one privilege the princess never took advantage off. Not only did it smell bad, but tasted about as good as medicinal herbs in warm tea and Stella hated medicinal herbs in warm tea, so thank you very much, Flora.

"Take it back." She waved her hand at him.

Brandon, who had to wait on line to sample this beverage, wasn't about to let that time go to waste. "Come on, I'm sure it's not that bad."

Stella would have warned him, liked to have warned him, but sometimes firsthand experience is the better teacher and she cringed watching him intake of the bile. For a young man accustomed to staring down monsters and attempting harrowing feats of bravery on a daily basis, his stomach was still inexperienced in matters of the vine and as soon as that drink reached the back of his throat his tonsils were as ready to vacate his body as quickly as his tongue was when he drank that searing-hot tea earlier. To say he gagged was an understatement. To say the people laughed at his expense would have been inaccurate. For Stella to say, "I told you so," couldn't have been more prudent. But it all happened and Brandon was not having a good time.

After several moments of stomach-turning agony, Brandon was on his knees and bent over. Stella stood over him with several laughing and pointing patrons and while she did not join in their jubilation she didn't much feel sympathetic to her boyfriend at the moment. "You should listen to me, snookums. I know this kingdom better than you do."

"Point…taken…" Brandon coughed some more and noticed with some dismay that he had dropped the cups, one of which had poured its contents all over his pants. _Damn and I just had that cleaned._

Someone's heavy-handed clapping caught his attention and he looked up to see Cathan, the Solarian duke who had insulted him earlier – albeit in a refined manner. The tall man had a big smile on his face and looking down on Brandon at that moment was one of the highlights of the evening. "Good show, Brandon. Most pass out upon their first taste of our most pungent ale. The fact that you are still conscious proves you are made of sterner stuff."

"What do you want, Cathan?" Stella did not forget how rude he had been to Brandon. By insulting him he had insulted her as well as her father and the kingdom. Such treason could send him to jail; something of which Stella was seriously considering doing right now. "I thought I made myself clear earlier."

Cathan stopped smiling. His face turned sullen and he bowed as far as his massive frame would allow. "Forgive my rudeness earlier, princess. My behavior earlier was not befitting a nobleman. If you would allow I would like to publicly apologize to you and your suitor in hopes that we may put the whole ordeal behind us." Cathan did well to hide the smirk burgeoning along the edge of his lips. Years of study taught him to mask his true intentions well and the princess was still a novice when it came to the intricacies of nobility. And if she couldn't see through him…

Brandon managed to pick himself off the ground to regard Lord Cathan. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones." His throat was still sore from the ordeal and there was a burning sensation in his stomach that proved quite the dragon to subdue. To play it safe he should be thankful for small favors: Riven wasn't here. He'd never let Brandon hear the end of it.

Cathan stood back up. "Splendid! I knew we could solve this like proper gentleman."

"Sounds phony if you ask me." Stella grumbled under her breath. Brandon and Cathan did not seem to hear as they shook hands in front of an approving crowd. The potential foes had made peace; or so it had seemed.

"Would you join me in a drink?" Cathan asked Brandon and he stepped aside to reveal a table with two cups and a bottle beyond the crowd. "I promise you'll enjoy it a great deal better than our ale. It is a custom among our people to formulate friendships over a drink."

Brandon looked at Stella to uncover the validity of that statement and despite herself the princess could not lie. So she nodded. It was another one of Solaria's ridiculous old traditions. What can you expect from a society that has been historically dominated by men?

"Sure."

"Brandon," She began.

"What better way to bury the hatches?" He said to her on the side. "Think how good this will look for us if I can get in with Skye 2.0."

Bemused at that last remark the princess looked back at Cathan and noticed just then that he did indeed look like Prince Skye. His blonde hair was cropped short though was a bit longer than their friend's had been and his face had angular features. The only major difference besides his size was the color of his eyes. They were dark green, as stunning as Skye's ocean blue. The similarities ended there for Stella knew a true nobleman when she saw it and Skye blew this poser out of the water. "I don't think you should."

"Why not?"

"Just trust me on this. I was right about the ale, wasn't I?"

"I was curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"The greater the risk, the greater the reward."

"Stop contradicting me."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Stella,"

"Brandon,"

"Pardon." Cathan grew tired of their antics. "The drink, Lord Brandon."

_Lord Brandon…I like the sound of that._ "I'll be right back, Stel. Besides, I would not want to insult your customs."

"I don't mind, really!"

But Brandon joined Cathan at the table and he was lost to her.

* * *

Brandon was not one to hold grudges. Were he such a man he would never have gotten along with half the boys at Red Fountain; Riven included, nor with any of the girls who had given him the cold shoulder over the years. Life was too short to remain angry at another person for a past discretion; far better to forgive and forget or at the very least forgive because to err, afterall, was human. 

Willing to give this Cathan fellow the benefit of the doubt, Brandon allowed himself to be led to the empty table beside a great hearth. The fire gave off a pleasant warmth though Brandon found the night air pleasantly comforting already and he found himself wishing he had worn a buttoned shirt so that he could at least unfasten the collar button. As he was now all he could do was pull at the collar of his fine brown shirt and hope not to leave stretch marks.

"Have a seat, my friend." Cathan offered. He waited for Brandon to sit down first before seating himself. In quick motion the nobleman from the north poured a drink for two and offered Brandon his cup which the specialist happily took. They were sitting awfully close to that hearth and any refreshment would be welcomed now. But what exactly was this stuff, the boy wondered. Taking a whiff he found the beverage to be sweet-smelling, like a fruit from one of those tropical dimensions. Once he and Skye took a trip to a beach planet just before attending Red Fountain. The island paradise was known for its fruit drinks though were warned they could be quite intoxicating. The two boys didn't listen and they drank the night away. Come morning, Skye was found sleeping in a tree while Brandon was half buried in sand next to a native female with green skin and gills. At least, he hoped it was female.

Strange how he thought on that time all of a sudden. He and Skye made a pact never to discuss it. The scandal had embarrassed the Eraklyonite Royal Family and they had to bribe the beach workers to keep it secret. Still, Brandon saved a picture a tourist took of Prince Skye shambling along the beach with palm branches in his trunks and a strange brown residue coating his bare skin. He looked as if he'd been mugged and left for dead, crawling his way out of a shallow grave. Brandon kept that picture with him so that when Skye ever ridiculed him for doing something ridiculous he pulled it out as a reminder.

"It is imported wine." Cathan said catching Brandon off guard. "A sweet fruit was used in its concoction. It's very sweet but nowhere near as potent as Solarian Ale. I think you'll like it. I fancy it myself from time to time."

"Mighty nice of you." Said Brandon though he couldn't stop thinking about the smell.

Cathan raised the glass. "To friendship."

"To honor."

Cathan, an eyebrow raised, nodded. "Honor."

They both drank.

What a pleasing taste! Now he knew had had this somewhere before. It WAS on that beach. "This takes me back."

"You've had Squall Wine before?"

"A long time ago. Before I went to Red Fountain. Best time I ever had getting ripped."

"Ripped?"

Foreign slang, he scolded himself. "Drunk."

"I see. Must have been quite pleasurable."

"From what little I can remember." Brandon said with a chuckle. He had forgotten a great deal about that trip. Things were fun to a point and then the mind suddenly blanked out. He knew he got seriously drunk that night. He remembered feeling warm and fuzzy. Maybe that was because he was feeling warm and fuzzy right now. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Brandon looked up at Cathan.

"What say we enjoy this someplace cooler?"

"Nonsense!" Cathan poured him another one. "It's the heat that makes it taste better."

"I don't recall,"

"Please." He raised the glass again. "Salud."

Shrugging, Brandon complied. "Bottoms up."

It went on like this for quite some time with Brandon emptying his cup and Cathan refilling it every time. Soon Brandon was seeing double. He wanted to stop but Cathan insisted. The wine was fabulous and he savored every sip but he was just getting too hot. For decency purposes he thought it best to keep his shirt on but oh how that fountain looked so promising.

The tall nobleman saw how groggy Brandon looked. His body swayed from right to left and he could barely sit up straight. He continued to pull at his collar to let out some heat but that did little to relieve him. They were about halfway done with the bottle when he had had enough but Brandon did not want to sound insulting to his host so he came up with an excuse. "Sorry, but can you point me to the restroom?"

Smiling, Cathan guided him to a group of tents nearby the west wall.

"Everything's old fashioned huh?" Brandon tried to get up but fell back into his seat. Using all the mental discipline he had learned at Red Fountain, the specialist forced himself up. Each step took concentration but slowly but surly he made his way toward the tents and away from that dreaded hearth.

Once inside the tent he made his way to what the ancients referred to as the sink. Basically it was a bucket of water with a mirror hanging over it from a pole. Looking into the mirror Brandon saw somebody he hadn't seen since that time on the beach. "Oh man."

Splashing some water on his face, he tried to sober up, but the heat was killing him. "So hot." Unable to sustain it any longer, he removed his shirt and proceeded to bath himself in as much water as possible. The cool water hitting his skin was a wonderful sensation but the heat subsided only momentarily before returning. Cursing, Brandon looked back into the mirror, his face, chest and hair riddled with sweat and water and wondered just what the hell was wrong with him.

The flap to the tent parted and somebody entered. He did his best to put his shirt back on as quickly as possible. "Sorry." He said. "Just a little hot is all."

The flap opened a few more times and he couldn't believe that now he had an audience. He splashed more water onto his face before proceeding to dry himself off with a nearby towel.

"Feeling under the weather?" Came the familiar voice.

In the mirror he could see Cathan's massive chest standing just a few feet behind him, the head was out of view. There were others as well, each adorning clothing similar to the duke's. When he turned around, Brandon found himself facing half a dozen powerfully built men. Even with is watery eyes something told him they were up to no good.

He peered up at Cathan who looked far more intimidating thanks to the heat. "What is it?"

"I just came in to see if you were alright? You looked so distraught earlier."

Regarding his companions. "And them?"

"Concerned citizens. Here in Solaria we make sure our guests are treated well."

"Really?" His warrior instincts kicked in and Brandon knew he was in trouble. "Well I'm feeling much better now."

"You don't look it." Cathan leaned in closer. "The heat has gotten to you hasn't it?"

"It looks that way." Brandon said trying to stand up straight proved harder all the time. "I think that drink you gave me didn't go down too well."

"The Squall Wine? Whatever for?"

"It's just too…hot." His head bobbled.

"I should think so. Part of the reason it's given the nickname, Heatstroke Nectar."

"Heatstroke Nec…" The name put together a jumbled part of that memory on the beach planet. The natives of the planet were immune to its effects but something about the wine proved harmful to foreigners. No, he remembered, it wasn't the wine, but the heat. Tourists were warned to drink only at night but he and Skye had partied a bit too early and that was why so much of that trip had been blacked out. The daylight heat combined with the wine threw their coordination into disarray, not to mention made their internal temperature jump a few searing degrees.

But it was night and a cool breeze had been coming in from the…_hearth?_ The hearth! It was so damn hot he may as well have been on that beach. Brandon had been sitting so close to it the effects kicked in much faster. A smaller man would have passed out in exhaustion and it must be do to Cathan's considerable size, not to mention being a safe distance from the hearth, which kept him from succumbing to the sickness.

But if Cathan knew that and placed him there on purpose then…

"Not cool bro." Brandon said through clenched teeth.

"I beg your pardon."

"I wanted to make nice but then you had to go screw it all up."

"Brandon, my fellow, I have no idea what you're talking about." He waved his arms innocently at his fellows who chuckled aloud.

Getting angry only made the heat worse, but Brandon found it gave him focus. Now his eyes zeroed in on Cathan whose smug expression was about ten seconds away from meeting with his fist.

Furious as he was he knew he was outnumbered. They looked down on him as if they were superior. How could they call themselves noblemen? Cowards more like it. Intoxicate him, surround him and then beat him up. The last part didn't happen yet but Brandon had been in enough scraps to know when a fight was coming.

Better to retreat.

"I'm outta here." But Cathan barred his path with an outstretched hand. Brandon's dark eyes narrowed as they trailed a path up his arm to his pale face. "Step aside."

"Or what, barbarian? You'll pummel me with your little broadsword?"

"I wouldn't dream of wasting such a weapon on the likes of you."

Now Cathan's eyes narrowed.

"I do not want a fight, Cathan. Just let me go and we can pretend this never happened."

"He's afraid." One of Cathan's men said.

"I hear Eraklyonites are brittle of the spine."

"What can you expect from cowards."

Brandon clenched his fists as his sides. Cathan saw the rage building inside of him and smiled once again. "Care to prove them wrong?"

"I have nothing to prove to you. Now move it!" He pushed Cathan's arm aside and strode away only to be blocked by two of his goons. "Cathan…" Brandon growled. "I'm not in the mood."

"I understand. But you see if we let you go then you'll just run to the princess and tattletale on us." He spoke in a condescending manner, like one preschooler making fun of another. "And we can't have that."

"I swear on my honor I'll tell Stella nothing."

"Honor?" Cathan laughed. "What would a pauper know of honor?"

"More than you apparently. What, you too afraid to face me one on one?"

"You wouldn't last two minutes with me, boy."

"Oh really?"

The other men snickered in excitement at the prospect of seeing their lord in action. Cathan's skills were the stuff of legend. They wanted to see him teach this arrogant foreigner a lesson.

Brandon turned to face Cathan. "Tell you what, give me an hour to sober up and you and I will go a few rounds for the enjoyment of all. How's that sound?"

"Hm?" Cathan thought.

"Scared?"

"Hardly."

"Then why hesitate?"

"I'm lulling."

"On what?" Brandon was getting very annoyed.

"On what our dear princess could see in a scoundrel like you." He crossed his arms. "Tell me, does she keep you warm at night or is her bed open to all pretenders?"

"You son of a BITCH!"

Cathan laughed as the first punch flew.

* * *

Princess Stella was sitting down to a bard's tale about a knight dueling his greatest enemy for the hand of the woman he loved when the first scream was heard. The bard, a think little man with bright blue hair, had just gotten to the final fight in which the hero and his foe clashed amid the ruins of an ancient fortress while his lady love hung precariously over a ledge. Time was running out and the bard played his lute in tune with the intensity of the scene. Just before the final act, somebody cried out and all eyes turned to a group of tents where several men were scuffling. 

Stella stood up to get a better view; now at least things were getting interesting. But her euphoria ended when she saw her lover among the rabble.

Brandon was fighting what seemed to be a group of men all by himself. Intoxicated as he was, the specialist proved a challenge. His training kicked in, instinct took over, and he fought like a cornered troll. Two of the men had black eyes and another was holding his broken nose which had effectively put him out of the fight. Brandon had one man by a headlock while he kicked the other in the gut when he got too close. He gasped as his lungs cried out for air and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Brandon!" Stella ran to him. Sure he was holding his own but he was still outnumbered and one of the men held what appeared to be a large bucket and was going to use it as a weapon. "Stop it!" She ordered. But stopping a group of males while in the throes of combat was like stopping them when they were in heat. Nothing mattered except the moment and one way or another the other guy was going down.

That other guy was Brandon and _he_ did not go down so easily.

"I order you to stop!"

"What is the meaning of this?" King Radius stormed through the crowd and gasped at what he saw.

One of the men tackled Brandon to the ground and tried to pin him but the trained specialist flipped him over with his legs. He got up only to receive a direct hit in the face, jarring his cheekbone a good centimeter off, but the rush of combat combined with the wine meant he barely felt it at all. A guttural growl was followed by a succession of punches in which Brandon worked the ribs. The man grimaced with each blow but managed to remain standing. He grabbed Brandon's head with one arm and held him down while he began elbowing him in the back. Leaning forward, Brandon brought the back of his left leg up and his foot connected with the man's face. He released Brandon and the specialist moved in for the kill.

Pinning the man to the ground with his knees, he began to punch his face into oblivion.

"Brandon, stop!"

"Cease! I command it!" When his orders were not followed the king called for his men. "Guards!"

Two Solarian sentries moved in and grabbed Brandon by the arms. He struggled with them, giving the man he was pummeling a good kick in the head before finally being restrained. Stella approached him, her face one of shock. "What's wrong with you!"

"That animal attacked me!" Lord Cathan stumbled out of the tent holding a bloody nose. He pretended to be in more pain than he really was and hobbled towards the king. "He was drunk beyond reasoning. When I tried to aid him he threatened me." Cathan looked at Brandon, daggers in his eyes. "He struck me without provocation. My men tried to restrain him but he attacked them as well. Look at his eyes. The beast! What manner of knight would the king of Eraklyon allow in his court. Savage, I tell you!"

"He's a liar!" Brandon screamed. "That bastard bad-mouthed Stella!"

"How dare you! I would never say such things. I would give my _life_ for the princess!"

"Shut up!"

"Try to show hospitality and this is my reward?"

"Son of a bitch!"

"Brandon." Stella whimpered.

"Enough." Said King Radius.

"But he's,"

"I said ENOUGH!" The king roared and Brandon settled down. He looked at Cathan with his bloody nose and then to his men, each the worse for wear. Then he turned to Brandon. His bloodshot eyes and sweaty brow told the king all he needed to know. "You've been drinking?"

"To quote a foreign term, he was 'wasted'." Cathan said.

Stella turned on him. "You invited him to drink."

"I never told him to drink himself silly, your highness."

"It was Squall Wine!" Brandon yelled.

"Preposterous." Radius rebuked. "With our long summers a Solarian would have to be a fool to consume them."

"He had some too!"

Cathan wiped the blood with a handkerchief. "I never touch the filth. I consumed a white wine earlier and nothing more. The king may test me if he so wishes but I do not lie." He took a menacing step towards Brandon. "Our guest, however, has indulged himself in a most potent variety of Solarian Ale. Several patrons watched him consume it just a while ago. Am I right?"

Voices rose to support Cathan's accusation. "Even the princess warded him away from it but he would not listen. He grew so drunk that he could barely walk straight. How many of you saw him wobble on his way to the tents?" More voices rose up and Brandon suddenly found himself the victim of a plot. "There you have it, my king. I invited the youth to join me at my table for refreshment, but the ale was too deep within him. When he went to refresh himself I followed him out of concern, a group of my fellows were willing to lend him a hand as well, but when we extended our hand in friendship he knocked it away and this is the end result." He ended with referral to himself and his men. "A most despicable man."

"You lying,"

"Silence!" Radius approached Brandon who was propped up by the guards for his inspection. Taking a whiff of his breath, King Radius gagged. "You reek!" He stepped back. "Take him inside. Secure him in a room and do not let him out until his comrade returns for him. Then he will no longer be our problem."

Brandon gasped as he was taken away.

"Daddy, no!"

"He has humiliated himself…and _us._" Radius emphasized the last word. "By bringing him here you have shamed the Royal Court. I am very disappointed in you Stella."

The princess became angry. "Brandon would not do this! I know him father!"

"What would you know of a boy who began courting you for a few months. He's dangerous, Stella. Most foreigners are."

Stella gasped. "Y…you sound just like mom."

That made the king freeze in his place. Lady Tranquiless was not too fond of foreigners in general. It was part of the reason she and Radius had such a falling out. Now that close-minded way of thinking had somehow tainted the king's words. "I'm sorry, Stella. I did not mean that."

"But what about Brandon?"

"He will be safe under lock and key."

"But it's not right!"

"This is not right!" He pointed to Cathan and his comrades. "Such behavior will not be tolerated!"

"Here! Here!" A nobleman said and he was joined by a chorus of his fellows.

Stella stepped away from her father with nothing but pain in her eyes. "Oh, daddy." She began to cry as she ran off. Cathan watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly taking a punch in the nose was worth it if it meant he could drive a wedge between the king and his daughter.

* * *

The guards "escorted" Brandon to a secluded room, empty save for a bed and small table on which there rested sheet of paper and a calligraphy pen. They roughly tossed him on the bed before locking the door shut behind them. Each took a sentry position on either side of the door. The room was as close to a dungeon as the real thing and the only thing that kept the king from sending the vagrant to the cells was that Stella was quite fond of him. 

Brandon knew that was the only reason he had been tolerated since his arrival. If he'd only known how stuck up Solaria really was he may never have come. He came here to be with Stella, to have a good time. Instead, all he found was forced tolerance befitting a stray dog who had wondered in off the streets. Nobody wanted him around, nobody liked him, they just pretended to care for the sake of appearance. Had Brandon arrived alone, he would probably be mistaken for a caterer or at the very least the valet. One night on Solaria and he found himself coming to one displeasing conclusion: this place sucked.

No. He shouldn't take out his frustrations on an entire kingdom just because of a few bluebloods. In fact, it was one particular blueblood who had gotten on his nerves. Cathan. That son of a bitch who had the audacity to question Stella's piety deserved more than a bloodied nose. When he had made the audacity, Brandon attacked with all his might. Only by stepping back at the last second did Cathan avoid having his nose broken completely. Still, the hit was such that the taller man stumbled backward and his men were momentarily too stunned to move as they never dreamed their lord could be staggered so.

One of them tried to hold Brandon so that the others could work him over, but Brandon performed a flip that sent him flying into another and they both crashed into one of the stalls. Outnumbered, Brandon grabbed the nearest thing he could use as a weapon, a bucket filled with water, and he drenched the next oncoming assailant, stalling him long enough for Brandon to slam the heavy object in his face. That one too received a bloodied nose.

One fool tried fisticuffs and wound up with a black eye for his trouble. Brandon excelled at close quarter combat and the next opponent found that out the hard way. He tried a frontal kick to Brandon's ribcage but Brandon caught it easily and twisted the leg to the man's discontent. Rolling over, he brought the man to the floor and twisted his ankle. He howled in agony but one of his comrades, the one with the broken nose, had picked up the bucket and tried to return to favor. Brandon rolled over just in time only to receive a direct hit on his back. The pain was terrible but he blocked it out and swept the man's legs from underneath him. Once he fell, Brandon returned to the previous opponent who took a swing at him but Brandon ducked under it and performed a fierce uppercut.

His enemy roiled away and just before he fell to the ground Brandon grabbed him by the shirt and punched him in the face. Black eye number two.

The two men he threw into the stall came out smelling like…well, _shit_…and charged him at once. All three flew out of the tent and into the open where a nearby woman screamed.

Brandon lay his weary body on the bed. The good news was he was beginning to sober up. The bad news is that with the sobering came the realization of his wounds. His back ached from that direct hit by the bucket and his head spun from the wine. Looking down he was a mess. His nice clothes were all ruffled up, even torn in a couple of places, and his shiny shoes had dirt all over them. He smelled of booze. He only wished there was a mirror nearby so that he could see if he really looked as bad as he felt.

A knock on the door, which sounded louder than it really did, hurt his head. "Go away." She said rather harshly. He was just in a bad mood.

"It's me, honey bear."

"Stella?" Brandon sat up. "Come in." He bade.

The Princess of Solaria entered the room and closed it behind her. She rushed over to his side and sat down on the bed. "Oh, Brandon, are you okay?"

"I guess." He was lying but he did not want to worry her.

But Stella wasn't fooled. "I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"It's not your fault."

"But it is! I invited you here."

Brandon took her hand. "Don't blame yourself. I'm happy I was able to spend some time with you even if it means getting a few broken bones in the process."

"You're hurt?"

"Here and there. But nothing a good shower won't cure."

"I've got something better." She stood up and reached in between her breasts.

The boy's eyes bulged. "Stella! I mean…I'm flattered and all but I don't it would be right to,"

"Stop being a boy, Brandon." She told him before pulling out a vial and handing it to him. "Take this. It'll make you better."

"What is it?"

"A healing potion. I fetched one from my room before coming here. Thought you might need it."

"You thought right." Brandon popped the cord and drank it. A moment later all his pains were gone. "Great stuff!"

"My own special brew."

"Thank you, Stella." He placed the empty vial on the desk and turned to face her. "So what now?"

"Now," She said with a big smile. "We have some fun."

"Huh?"

"Let's ditch this place." Stella walked over to the door to make sure the guards weren't listening. Walking back to Brandon she took his hand. "I know a place that's really jamming this time of night."

"But I'm a mess."

"We can fix that." She looked to the stain on his pants and recited a spell. _"Stainus Removus."_ The stain disappeared.

"Gotta love magic." Brandon said.

"Now about that breath." She referred to the horrid stench seeping out of his mouth. With a wave of her hand, _"Refreshus Breathium."_

Brandon now smelled like a field of blooming flowers. Stella snapped her fingers and all the ruffles in his clothes vanished as well. He looked as good as he did when he first arrived.

"All new!" The princess took a step back to admire him in all his glory. "Not bad if I do say so myself."

Brandon was all smiles. "Thanks for the patch up. But are you really going to go out dressed like that?"

"Course not, darlin'." Stella raised her hand over her head where magic dust fell upon her and her dress. The gown vanished to be replaced by an erotic attire: a form-fitting cherry-colored, sleeveless blouse which exposed her lean back and flat belly. Tight blue jeans that fit her wonderful curves and red open-toed heels. Her blonde mane was cropped in her standard ponytail though with a red bow on top. "Ready to par-tay!"

Brandon reprimanded himself from gawking but _gods!_ she was beautiful.

"Close your mouth, Brandon. Flies will get in." She did it for him and then walked over to the desk. "I'll leave a letter for my dad." She began writing.

"Why?" He had to ask.

"I'm too upset to speak with him right now. I just want him to understand why I'm doing this." Once she finished writing she put the pen away and left the letter for him to see. Taking Brandon by the hand, Stella led him to the far wall where she whispered a spell that revealed a door that she and Brandon walked through. It was dark as the door sealed shut but Stella created a ball of light for which to guide them through the tunnel.

"Hey, Stella."

"What is it?"

"Just out of curiosity, why are you doing this?"

"Because right now, honey, I just want to be with you."

* * *

Lady Ophelia, the Duchess of Corona, had seen the fight between Brandon and Cathan's host. She had heard the explanation behind the incident and like everyone else had witnessed many of the things Cathan proclaimed Brandon had done. But being a woman of intelligence meant she did not believe everything she heard. Part of this was due to being a good judge of character. Ophelia had spoken to Brandon only once in the company of the princess. He did not seem overly violent, nor was he one to give into tantrums. Everything about Brandon spoke discipline, undoubtingly due from his training at Red Fountain. There was a nobility in his eyes that Ophelia could not quite define. It wasn't the type exhibited by the royals of the court but rather one that spoke volumes of his character. He was a man of honor and would never disgrace the name of his institute by getting drunk and into brawls. 

There were also six men in that tent besides Brandon. The fact that Brandon had managed to hold his own so well against superior numbers spoke volumes. It said he was sober enough to defend himself properly. When he had spoken to the king it was not in the manner befitting a drunkard but rather a man accused of a crime he did not commit. There was truth in his words, she realized. But why then would Lord Cathan start the fight?

Pushing her doubts aside for the moment, the lady sought out the duke to see for herself. She found Cathan among a crowd of his own men. Those who had been with him during the fight were there as well and weren't too pleased at the stares they received from passing patrons. As she stepped up to them, two men blocked her path. "Pardon me."

Cathan, recognizing her voice, turned toward her. He easily towered over his own man and when he saw Ophelia bade his men to let her pass.

"I came to see how you were, my lord." Ophelia got a closer look at Cathan and despite the dried blood on his face, his nose actually seemed quite better. "Have your injuries healed any?"

"In time, my lady, in time." He turned to one of his fellows and whispered something in his ear to which the man nodded and before running off. Cathan returned his attention to Ophelia. "I've recovered from quite worse, you see. These wounds are but a scratch and irk me as much as fly's sting."

"Pleased to hear it." She said. "I would hate to think our greatest warrior was bested by a mere squire." The look Cathan gave her at that remark was enough to send shivers down her spine. Those beautiful green eyes of his turned cold and yet burned with an emerald fire. "F-forgive me, my lord. I did not mean to imply that you could so easily have been bested in a duel."

"That was no duel." Cathan remarked. "Had it been so he would not have walked away alive."

The tone in which he spoke scared her. "Surely you do not mean you would have killed the boy?"

Cathan chose his words carefully after that. "Of course not." His voice and features lightened and he was his cheery self again. "I am merely stating the obvious difference between his abilities and my own."

Ophelia relaxed somewhat. Angering such a powerful man would not be a wise move on her part. He may be a nobleman, but he was still a warrior.

"I hope what you witnessed tonight did not sully your mood."

"No, my lord. In fact I enjoy a good sparring match."

"Ah! You fancy the martial arts then?"

"From time to time I even partake in such activities."

Cathan was taken back. "Why, Lady Ophelia. I had no idea."

"It helps pass the time in my lonely manor."

"You must provide me with a demonstration of your combat skills sometime."

"I would be a privilege, my lord." She bowed her head.

The man Cathan had whispered to returned and said something into his ear. "I see." The duke looked to Ophelia. "Forgive me, my lady, but there is a matter I must attend to."

"Nothing dangerous I hope."

"Something personal is all." Cathan inadvertently rubbed his nose after making that statement giving Ophelia a good idea at what that personal matter was.

"Please excuse me." He bowed and then he and his entourage made way for the nearest exit.

Ophelia didn't much like where this was going. She considered speaking with the king but that would be like betraying Cathan and her honor forbade such action. She could speak to the princess but she had run off after her lover was taken away by the guards. Perhaps if she saw Brandon instead. Just to check up on him to make sure he is okay. She found herself wondering why she cared so much what happened to him.

The duchess found she did not know the palace as well as she thought she did for she had taken a wrong turn around the next corner beside a field of hedges. Grumbling to herself, she proceeded to retrace her steps to the lower level of the palace when she heard something. Peeking around from behind a hedge she saw a door formulate in the wall where Princess Stella and Brandon appeared hand in hand. The door sealed shut and the couple made a dash towards the city.

Suspicion had always served Ophelia well as a duchess and she decided to look into this matter personally. If Lord Cathan would not include her on his plans then she would have to take matters into her own hands.

* * *

The guards saluted as King Radius approached the room. "Open." He commanded and they obeyed. The king had secretly been deliberating the whole incident between Brandon and Cathan's men for some time now. There was something not right here and he wanted to get the other side of the story. He entered the room in hopes of speaking with Brandon man to man. 

What he found was an empty room.

"Guards!"

The guards entered and when they saw their charge was missing they looked to the king in confusion. Radius had a good idea of what had happened. "Did the princess come here earlier?" Both guards nodded and Radius just shook his head. "It is no surprise." A piece of paper on the desk caught his attention and he approached it. It was a letter and he recognized his daughter's handwriting. Picking it up, he read it to himself.

"_Dear Daddy,_

_I'm sorry but I cannot allow Brandon to be treated this way. He is innocent and I believe Cathan _– she purposely omitted his title – _is the one responsible for all this. Brandon is a good man, father. He would never do something like what he has been accused of. You know I would never date someone who is dishonorable because you taught me better._

_While I know you only did what you thought was best for everybody, I have freed Brandon from his house arrest and am showing him what I promised him I would. The beauty of our kingdom._

_You may be mad as you're reading this and I don't blame you. But I cannot look the other way. I love you, daddy, but I love Brandon too. He is a good man. No. A wonderful man. Please believe me when I say I'm doing the right thing. If anyone would understand why I'm doing this, you would daddy. Because my heart is the same as yours. _

_Please understand._

_Love always,_

_Stella_

_P.S. – You can ground me later._

Radius lowered the note. "Stella." There was no rage or contempt in his voice. "I do understand."


	3. You and Me

Elves had once ruled the kingdom of Solaria

**To everyone who's waited so long for the next chapter I submit my deepest apologies. When I started this short story, I expected to finish it within a month. Instead an entire year has passed and I feel ashamed and a bit embarrassed. Looking back on it, I wonder just why I stopped writing. So many things happened that it's difficult to recall, but suffice it to say that I'm back and proud to present to you this third chapter of "Of the Sun and of the Moon."**

**Let me reintroduce my two OCs: **

**First, there's Lady Ophelia. She is the next in line to be the Duchess of Corona, a rich and influential province of the Kingdom of Solaria. She's comes from a noble family who happens to be very conservative. They don't like the changes Stella and her father have made to Solarian society and believe the nobility should retain the power. Previously, we learn that Stella and Ophelia have a bit of history. This chapter explores what happened all those years ago and we get more insight into Ophelia's character and motivations.**

**Second, there's Lord Cathan. Referred to by Brandon as Sky 2.0, this nobleman is a mirror image of Prince Sky except that he is taller, bigger, and has green eyes. Like Ophelia, he too is troubled by what the princess and the king are doing to their beloved Solaria. Cathan instigates a fight with Brandon that makes him look like the aggressor, bringing shame upon him and embarrassing Stella in the process. Cathan does not like Brandon; **_**at all**_**. So he plans to do every thing in his power to make Brandon feel unwelcome. You know there's going to be a fight, don't ya?**

**A couple of notes for this chapter. First the club named **_**Starlight and Shadows**_** is derived from a Forgotten Realms Trilogy of novels written by Elaine Cunningham. The title character, Liriel Baenre, is given the nickname **_**Raven**_** by her barbarian companion. She is a drow, or dark elf, which makes her black-skinned with white hair. By the way, the song that Raven sings in this chapter is titled "You and Me" and is sung by Tiffany. This song comes from the Jetsons Movie way back in 1990 for those of you not in the know. It's a beautiful song. If you want to hear it played, go to and type in Jetsons Movie. Scroll down and you'll find the video.**

--

You and Me

Elves had once ruled the kingdom of Solaria. Back then it had a different name, one flowing in the ancient tongue of that benevolent race who taught the human tribes living out in the wilderness culture, art and music. Over the centuries the elves have left Solaria to their human charges, but traces of their magnificent civilization were still apparent in the buildings, streets, bridges and walkways of the kingdom's capital city. To visit the city was like walking through ten thousand years of history and one could not help but feel the presence of the elves in every work of stone or wood. It was this imprint of the elves that made the city one of the most beautiful in all the realms – attracting visitors from all corners of the universe and beyond.

The elegant archways crisscrossed over the marbled city streets seemingly held in place by thin air. Towers, some resembling the points of spears which were actually modeled after an ancient elven instrument, rose to such heights that they could be seen from miles around. In accordance with the musical instrument they had been designed after, the towers created a melody whenever the wind blew through their balconies. Each tune was different depending on the direction and strength of the wind and at times the city was filled with such song that the populace was known to simply stop what they were doing to take it all in.

Then there were the fountains. Hundreds of crystal-clear fountains dotted the city grounds. Some were no bigger than a birth bath while others were as large as pools; each and every one of them was a work of art. The sound of water filled every street corner which in turn was named after the nearest fountain. Most of these names were difficult to articulate primarily because the elven language was so old that few people remembered how to pronounce the words correctly. Humans were very clumsy with languages, compared to the elves they were linguistically challenged, but no matter how difficult the name was the people spoke them with reverence and respect in honor of the People who gave them so much.

Of course it would be impossible to describe any elf city without giving mention to the trees. There were even more of them then there were fountains or buildings. The ancient race had learned long ago to work with nature rather than dominate it. Each tree standing had been doing so for countless eons, undisturbed by the rise of civilization. This symbiotic relationship has led to a balance that gave the city a serene beauty that made it appear a part of the landscape. Some trees were so large that there were homes built inside of them. These homes were built by the elves when they had first made their dwellings in these lands. Now humans resided in them and the citizens considered them to be the most fortunate residents because those tree-dwellings were the most sought after real estate in the entire city.

The roads were the finest ever constructed by mortal hands. Even after centuries of use they still maintained their flawless peripheral. No man-made object could blemish the copper-colored streets nor take away the sensation of walking on water whenever one set foot on the surface. In many places the people discarded their motorized vehicles in favor of experiencing the "red water" roads of Solaria. These were but a few of the wonders left behind by the ancient race and the only thing that could take away from it all was the fact that they were gone. But they had never really left. They still lived in the hearts and minds of the people.

Brandon could feel their presence even now. "It's beautiful."

"That's why I love coming here. You know I used to sneak out of the palace just so I could hang out by the great fountain in Corona Square." He noticed a change in Stella the moment they arrived in the city. The princess was taken in by the magic of the place and she danced and twirled around in the open streets; seemingly oblivious to the stares she received by many onlookers. Only after taking a good look did Brandon realize that weren't offering her stares but looks of content. Stella's behavior was perfectly normal considering where she was. None of them seemed to mind she was their princess. Here, among the great works of the ancient race of elves, she was a daughter of Solaria and nothing more.

Leaving Brandon behind, Stella pranced over to a large amber-colored fountain whose figurines were shaped like dancing fairies of all people. As if it were even possible, Stella grew more elated the closer she got. "This is it." She told her boyfriend who had just caught up with her. "This is my old hangout. What do you think?"

"Words don't do it justice."

"I used to think the same thing. So…" She went over, grabbed his arm, then pulled him in closer. "Let's just look."

Having no problem with that – she was holding him real close – Brandon concurred and stood in silence. They watched the water spray up and down, smaller gouts shooting between the stone fairies and landing in hidden alcoves. It took Brandon a moment to realize that it wasn't the water spouts that were moving but the statues. The fairies had actually come to life and were dancing in the moonlight. Every now and then a spout of water would be released from mouths, taking different colors at every new dance posture. It was incredible.

"You know, Brandon," Stella began. "There's so much about my kingdom that I want to show you but we have so little time. Maybe someday I can show you everything I love about this place."

"You're doing a hell of a job so far, Stell," Her finger pressed against his lips and prevented him from speaking.

"Come on." Taking his hand, Stella led him away from the fountain – while a pair of unfriendly eyes watched from a safe distance.

"Where is she taking him?" Ophelia asked herself. She grew tired of this chase and wanted to catch them in some immoral act so as to bring shame upon the royal family. What she got for her troubles instead was sneaking around in heeled shoes upon cobblestone streets, wearing a heavy dress and a corset that was squeezing the life out of her very lungs. Honestly, sometimes these ancient festivals weren't worth the traditions they were built on. She was sweaty; never a good thing for a noblewoman, and she was hot too. Holding up her skirt while chasing down the pair might seem comical to anyone else, but to Ophelia it was downright humiliating.

Perhaps this was better left to someone with more experience?

No, she told herself. She knew she would have to be the one to catch the princess and her boy-toy in some unscrupulous activity in order to claim credit for the charge. Reclaiming one's honor was a difficult thing but Ophelia would do anything; perform any chore if it meant restoring honor to the House of Corona. She can still remember the day that honor was taken away from her family and when she first started hating Stella…

--

_Five Years Ago_

Princess Stella's thirteenth birthday party had gone splendidly and Lady Ophelia had been among the first to present to her a gift from the House of Corona. This would be the first time the girl had ever met the princess and first impressions were very important. As such, Ophelia wore her finest gown, hand-woven by the finest seamstresses from the realm of Bonita.

It was exotically colored; adorned with jewels and gemstones from her home province. One would dare say Ophelia was the most lavishly decorated young lady present…save the princess, that is.

Her reputation preceded her and Ophelia only wanted to impress. She remembered reading somewhere that Stella loved jewelry of the rarest kind and so she asked her grandmother, the Duchess of Corona, if she could present the princess with a golden tiara. The duchess gave her permission to seek the services of the master blacksmith who forged the tiara for six weeks prior to the birthday party. When he was done, the tiara shone so brightly that Ophelia had to cover her eyes to keep from being blinded.

With that done, Ophelia then asked her grandmother for a precious jewel to adorn the tiara. The duchess provided her with access to the deepest mines of the kingdom, where Ophelia picked what she believed to be the most beautiful gemstone she had ever seen. It was a deep emerald, like the shimmering forests of Solaria. The gift was a representation of their realm and she was sure Stella would love it. She then picked out her favorite jewelry box from when she was a child and encased the tiara within. Leaving it in her mother's amiable care, Ophelia then went to find the finest dress for which to wear to the party.

She had her hair done; nails, eyebrows, everything! Nothing would spoil her first encounter with the infamous princess of Solaria. She and her grandmother arrived at the golden palace upon a winged carriage driven by domesticated pegasi. Upon landing, the entourage of Corona was escorted in where they were formally introduced to King Radius and Queen Tranquiless before meeting Princess Stella.

Ophelia recalled how happy Stella looked when she first saw her. Stella was always happy to make a new friend. In fact, friends were one thing she valued above fashion and jewelry, but most people did not know that. When one was forced to spend all her time forgoing her youth in favor of monarchic responsibilities, friends were a precious commodity indeed. Imagine Ophelia's shock when Stella hugged her in front of everybody. This was not how a princess was supposed to act and Stella was quickly berated by her mother. Radius simply smiled. He was overjoyed whenever his daughter was happy.

The two girls got along remarkably well. They played together throughout the entire ball room and spent the hours away telling stories about school, boys, the latest fashion trends and even their plans for the future. No one could have foretold this brief friendship would come to an end. When the time came to present the gifts to the princess, Ophelia was first in line. She handed the box containing the tiara to Stella who opened it to reveal the beautiful tiara. Overjoyed, Stella embraced Ophelia again despite her mother's renewed protests and put it on. The moment she did…the thing cracked and fell to the floor.

Stella's hands were covered with golden paint and the emerald jewel, the wondrous emerald which Ophelia had so painstakingly handpicked, shattered into a million pieces.

All was silent. No one moved. Even the king and queen were speechless at this outrage. To hand their daughter such a faulty token was nothing short of an insult. While Solaria had come a long way since its savage beginnings, there were some things that would not be tolerated.

Stella looked to Ophelia with pained eyes. How could she, her friend, have done this to her? In front of everyone? On her birthday?

"What is the meaning of this?" Tranquiless finally asked.

"Duchess, please explain yourself." Said Radius.

"I do not understand." She began. "Ophelia, that was an actual emerald you picked, was it not?"

"Yes grandmother."

"And the tiara?"

"Forged by the master of the Sparkling Mines."

"Then how,"

"Enough of this!" The queen stood up enraged. All present shuddered as she approached the duchess and her distraught granddaughter. Taking Stella by the shoulder, she pulled her back to her side and glared at them. "Your family has never liked us. They have gone out of their way to bring shame and dishonor upon the royal court. Now you take it one step further by insulting my daughter on her birthday?"

"We've done no such thing." The duchess retorted.

"Do not speak back to your queen. If I wanted, I could have your entire family stripped of their rank; your ancestral lands seized and your homes razed to the ground."

The last part sent a huge gasp rising out of the crowd. For even the queen to so openly threaten a member of a royal house…

Grimacing, the duchess pulled her granddaughter away from the queen. "How dare you?!"

"How dare you?! Guards!"

Fortune was with them as Radius was not so quick to pass judgment. "Hold!" He commanded. The guards posted around the ball room paused, unsure of whose orders to follow. King Radius stepped down from his throne to approach the duchess. "Duchess Sylvia, I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding. One we can easily overcome if,"

"Do not let her groveling get the better of you, dear husband." Tranquiless said. "She would do anything to avoid punishment for her misdeeds."

Sylvia seemed on the verge of exploding. Thankfully, she managed to keep herself under control. "Corona does not grovel, my queen. We may use words more often than swords but we would never stoop ourselves to such a level. We are a proud House. Ancient and strong, and one always loyal to the royal family and to Solaria."

"You speak one way, yet act another. Members of your House have performed questionable activities in the past. Such was the case with your daughter, the Lady Cecilia. What would she think if she saw her mother and daughter carrying out her disdainful legacy?"

"She was loyal!" Sylvia screamed. Ophelia never heard her grandmother scream before. She was always a woman of controlled character and yet she had just lost her stature in front of a woman who seemed to relish it. "Cecilia never betrayed the kingdom!"

"Then why was she seen consorting with our enemies?" The queen asked.

"She tried to use diplomacy to prevent war. You'd understand that if you weren't so," she stopped herself but the queen would have nothing of it. Her eyes dared Sylvia to continue and when she did it was with a controlled voice. "If you weren't always away, your highness."

What she meant to say was, "if you weren't such a warmongering bitch" but Sylvia was in hot water as it was and did not want to further enrage the Queen of Solaria.

"Take care, Duchess of Corona, for you tread on very dangerous ground. Do not forget that _I_ am your queen and as such to whom you have sworn your fealty, your loyalty, _and_ your life."

"I can never forget, my queen." _For you never let me._

King Radius, seeking to disarm the situation, put himself in between the two women. He may as well have been standing between two dragons. "My Queen, Duchess, there is no need for threats or harsh language. Our kingdom is based on the principles of honor and civility."

"Principles seriously lacking in the House of Corona." Tranquiless spat.

No queen, no ruler could ever speak to Lady Sylvia like that. In her younger years, she had fought in the wars to remove the Ancient Coven from Solaria's neighboring world and liberated the southern continent from the tyrannical reign of the Troll Lord, Gargesh. A warrior at heart, but with the mind of a scholar and philosopher, Sylvia had faced far more intimidating opponents than some arrogant woman who thought the weight of her crown entitled her to blind obedience. Sylvia knew what a true queen was. She had seen the makings of it in her own daughter, a woman who sacrificed everything for the good of her people. In olden times, leaders were measured by their actions, not their words and if words were the only weapon Tranquiless had to use then she was greatly outmatched.

"The queen's memory is short-lived, for as I recall it was I that tutored you in those same principles which you now spit upon. It was those doctrines that I instilled into my daughter, the Duchess Cecilia, who gave her life defending the honor of Solaria when our embassy on Xerxes was attacked. Her selflessness saved the lives of hundreds of innocents and stalled the separatists long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Her courage never wavered and she defied the inhumane orders of their leader who would later stab a dagger through her heart."

Ophelia whimpered. She never liked hearing how her mother passed away. The day the news reached their estate was the saddest moment of her life. But her grandmother told her to hold her head up high for Cecilia died with dignity befitting a noblewoman. She should be proud of her. Only years later would Ophelia express any pride. At that time, she was a poor little girl who had lost her mother.

"On Xerxes now my daughter is hailed as a hero." She regarded the entire crowd now, her voice carrying to the very back of the room. "She showed them what true Solarian valor is like. Her sacrifice would inspire thousands, nobility and commoner alike, to aspire to higher precipices and to always fight for what you believe in. Cecilia was no warrior. Her skill with the blade was minimal. But her heart was made of fire, the same fire that burns at the core of our sun and in the heart of every citizen of our great kingdom. She understood what was asked of her and she faced her death without hesitation; without _fear_. How can anyone see her for anything other than she was?" Sylvia turned on the queen. "A _true_ daughter of Solaria who gave her life for a queen unfitting of such loyalty!"

"Treason!" Tranquiless screamed. "Guards!"

"Hold your place!" Radius ordered. But many armed men had already surrounded the duchess and her granddaughter. Soldiers of the House of Corona drew their weapons and though they were badly outnumbered their willingness to sacrifice themselves for their duchess could not be questioned. Ophelia clung to her grandmother's dress, tears welling up in her eyes. Princess Stella looked from her father to her mother, terrified and confused at what was going on. All of this over a broken tiara? Was what happened really that bad? Why was her mother so angry?

"ENOUGH I SAY!" Radius roared to such a degree that all present froze in their tracks. Seeking to avoid a bloodbath, the king made the only logical course of action. "Duchess Sylvia, I'm afraid you must leave the palace at once. Take your entourage and be gone!" He spoke the last word with urgency, not anger.

"But," Tranquiless protested but one look from Radius silenced her.

"I have spoken." He returned to the duchess whose eyes shone with pain and humiliation. "Leave us."

Swallowing her pride and self-respect, Lady Sylvia bowed. "As you wish, your highness. Princess Stella, many happy returns." She looked at Ophelia. "Granddaughter." The young girl respectfully bowed to the Royal Court and followed the duchess out, their followers falling in line behind them.

Once they had reached their carriage and took off, Ophelia turned to her grandmother with watering eyes. "Why did she yell at you, grandmother? What did I do wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, child." Sylvia said. The duchess sat with her arms folded across her legs and her back postured up against the seat. This was her normal pose but Ophelia could see the tension in her body language as she stared outside the carriage window at the clouds passing by. After a moment, Sylvia spoke yet again. "Ophelia, do you know why the tiara broke?" The little girl shook her head. "It is because I broke it."

Ophelia reacted as if her grandmother's head had just exploded.

"I cast a rust spell upon the tiara and the emerald. When you handed them to the princess they had the density of glass. That's why they broke so easily."

"Why?" Ophelia asked near crying.

"You were so intent upon pleasing the princess, Ophelia. I did not want you to become like your mother." Sylvia's eyes shimmered as the moonlight was caught on the burgeoning water. "She did everything possible to appease her. She hoped to gain the queen's favor by blindly following her orders without question. Cecilia had no business being at that embassy during the military coup, but the queen sent her there anyway. She knew Cecilia was becoming too popular within the Court and the Senate so she needed to keep her away from the palace. Cecilia traveled to many far off realms but was always successful in every mission. When the rebellion on Xerxes began, she sent your mother to show Solaria's support for the provisional government. But then the separatists raided the embassy and took her hostage. She never gave in to their demands. Even on threat of death."

Ophelia could see her grandmother was fighting back tears at this moment. The loss of her daughter was harder than she had let on and to express her feelings this openly had unleashed a floodgate of pain upon the elderly woman. Sniffling, the duchess continued her account of the tragedy. "She defied them every step of the way. When the government troops began to retake the embassy the separatist leader panicked. He ordered your mother to call off the attack even after explaining she had no authority to do so. Then he threatened to blow up the entire building using a remote detonator. Faced with losing the lives of those still trapped inside, she did the only thing she could…she took the detonator from him and destroyed it, saving their lives but sealing her fate as well. The leader killed her in front of the prisoners just moments before the soldiers burst through the door."

"Mommy." Ophelia wailed.

"Don't cry!" She ordered. "Do not dishonor her memory with such action. She was a true daughter of Solaria and you should always be proud of her. That is what true nobility is, my granddaughter. The queen thinks only of herself and her position. She has no honor. Not a drop of royal blood runs through her veins." She placed a soft hand on Ophelia's little head, petting it as gently as one would a newborn puppy. Her voice softened. "I do not want you to become a pawn like your mother did. I did what I did today because I wanted you to see what the ruling family of Solaria is really like. The king is soft and allows his queen to get away with whatever she likes. The princess is growing up to become more like her mother each day. When you are old enough and wiser, you must learn to stand against her in the proper manner. Defy their corruption to the last, Ophelia!"

Her last words sparked something within the girl. Before the party, she was a naïve child with thoughts of appeasement. Now the seeds of defiance had been laid in her mind. She saw firsthand how mean the queen was to her and her grandmother. The king did nothing to stand up for them even after all their years of service. Who's to say Stella wouldn't become the same way?

Her mother was a noble woman. She was never more proud of her than in that moment. Ophelia had seen the truth and now she had a new purpose in life: that being to reveal the corrupt monarchy of Solaria for what it truly was. It may take years, but she will reclaim her family's honor. If for her mother than nothing else.

"I…I understand."

"Do you?" Sylvia pressed.

"Yes." Ophelia spoke with a newfound confidence. "I will never let myself become a puppet of the princess."

"Good."

"And I will restore our family name to a place of honor."

"Excellent." She raised the girl's chin to look into her beautiful emerald eyes. "But you must remember to choose your battles carefully. Despicable or not, they are still the royal family and that makes them dangerous."

"You taught me there's nothing more dangerous than who fights for what she believes in, grandmother."

Sylvia smirked. "And what do you believe in, granddaughter?"

Her answer was as simple as ever. "Honor."

--

"Honor." The word seeped through her mouth in a reverent sigh that one would reserve in speaking the name of a divine being. That was all that mattered to Ophelia now. All that did matter since that day all those years ago when she made a pledge in that flying carriage to reclaim what was stolen from her. If the confrontation with the queen taught her anything, it was that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The royal family had held the reigns of power for too long in this kingdom. It was time to return to the old ways when great leaders were borne out of acts of true selflessness. Corona was not the only House to believe in this. The voices of dissent were rampant throughout the realm and Solaria was on the verge of revolution.

The cannon needed only a spark to fire.

Ophelia would find that spark. Perhaps this Brandon fellow can help her. He was a good man. Ignorant in the ways of the royals despite being friends with the Prince of Eraklyon, but a noble spirit nonetheless. She almost regretted having to put him in all this but duty demanded she put all other concerns aside in favor of keeping her promise to her grandmother. Brandon was but a tool with which to claim her vengeance. She would use him and Stella would suffer for her arrogance. Ophelia would see the Royal House of Solaria crumble beneath her if it was the last thing she ever did.

--

Solaria was truly a kingdom of wonders. Brandon recalled once, long ago, when he had accompanied the royal family of Eraklyon on a hunting expedition within the kingdom's great northern forest. He and Prince Skye joined the king and the hunting party in an excursion into that fabled wood which was home to one of the most dangerous animals in the entire world: the great Oakback dragon.

Their hunt had been a success and they bagged an impressive specimen. When the party returned to their camp to celebrate, one of the veterans, an old accomplice of the king, began telling stories of ancient warlords and heroes. His most impressive story had been one of the forest itself. This wood, it seemed, was the birthplace of Eraklyon, where the great dragons of lore burst forth to bring light to what was then a wasteland and chased the demons back into the many hells from whence they came. After the story, Brandon and Skye retired for the night, but the young squire could not sleep. He found himself looking at the trees as if for the first time. Beneath their ancient boughs he felt insignificant. So great was their height, so impressive their stature, their roots descending for meters beneath the primordial surface of the earth – there was a sentient life-force to this place that Brandon could not easily define but knew was there. The forest was beautiful and it was alive.

In his travels, Brandon had seen many a forest but none quite lived up to the majestic trees back home. Eraklyon's trees were great and tall – save for those of the woodland realm of Linphea, they were probably the largest trees in the universe.

But Brandon learned that size did not always matter and true relevance lied within. He'd been taught this lesson at Red Fountain, where he'd been humbled time and again. Spending time with the guys, the girls, and Stella in particular, Brandon kept this lesson to heart and would never judge a book by its cover. But Stella had such a pretty cover. Someday, he hoped to unveil the pages behind that cover and embrace the beauty within…until then, he'd just have to satisfy himself with looking at the back of this particular book – you know where the um…ahem…summary was.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked when he noticed they were leaving the Elven district of the city.

"You'll see," she playfully replied.

Some S&M things started going through Brandon's mind. Hey, a guy could hope, right?

But when she dragged him into a side street and then into a narrow alley between two stone buildings that looked like they belonged on the set of a horror movie, Brandon's thoughts began to distance themselves from the dark side and he strained his eyes to see in the weak lighting. A single lamp, if one could call it that, hung lazily atop a bent pole. It looked as though an ogre had tried to climb it or at least use it as a blunt weapon for the damn thing near resembled a pretzel. The light flickered, causing the shadows to play tricks on his eyes. Unpleasant shapes surrounded the couple as they made their way to the only door in the alley, a large wooden construct that had once been red but years of neglect had turned the amarant into an ugly shade of pink.

"Should I be worried?" Brandon asked as Stella reached up to knock on the door.

"Not unless you're afraid of having a good time."

"Define 'good'."

"Oh don't be such a worry wart," Stella said and looked up when a small peephole—_where'd that come from?_—appeared at the top. A large eye, hazel, peered down at them. "What do you want?" Came the voice of something Brandon had heard only once—in his nightmares.

"_Starlight and Shadows_," she answered.

There was silence and for the moment Brandon couldn't figure out what was going on.

A grumbling chuckle sounded out. "Been a while, princess." The peephole vanished seamlessly into the door, accompanied by the sound of a lock opening. There was a mighty snap and the huge door swung open. Stella and Brandon quickly entered and the specialist almost instinctively reached for a sword that wasn't there when he saw who the doorman was. Door_monster_, more like it. It was a Cyclops: a lumbering, eight-foot, one-eyed beast that Brandon tangled with on more than one occasion back home. Eraklyon was full of them. He and Sky got into plenty of scuffles with them in their pre-teen years; usually for playground rights.

"Hey, Broar. How's it hanging?" Stella greeted the Cyclops.

"Good to see you again." His eye rested on Brandon. "Who's this?"

"This," she wrapped an arm around his neck. "Is Brandon. He's my cuddle bear."

"Hi." Brandon gave the Cyclops a friendly smile which, to his dismay, was not reciprocated.

"Likewise." Then to Stella he said, "We've got some new talent performing tonight. Heard the new DJ's a real blazer."

"Where's Mike?"

"Moved on to greener pastures. Last I heard he got a new gig somewhere on Harmonia."

"Well good for him. I always told that boy he'd go far if he tried hard enough. You'd have loved him, Brandon. Mike could do rips that would give Musa a run for her money. He was one hell of a dancer too."

Broar grinned. "Sure gave _you_ a run for your money."

"In more ways than one."

Stella and Broar had a good laugh. Brandon did not. "What exactly do you me…"

"Come on, hon." Grabbing Brandon, she led him away from the door.

"Have fun," the Cyclops said before retuning to his solitary post.

Down a darkened hall they went. The sound of music could be heard growing louder with every step. Soon they reached a pair of iron-wrought doors. Stella stopped them at the foot of the partitions, turning to Brandon with a big smile on her face. "Ready for a real party?"

"Stella, about what you said back there, what happened between you and,"

Before he could finish, the doors magically opened, drowning out his words and blinding his eyes with a thousand colors. His ears exploded with noise and the ground shook with each beat of the music. Hundreds of voices went up as one when Stella entered the room. "Stella's in the house!" The princess proclaimed and every one cheered.

Brandon was still trying to orient himself. He lost Stella's hand but immediately found it again when she pulled him in by the arm.

"Everyone, this is Brandon. He's the cutest boy at Red Fountain and one kick ass hero. He's also my number one guy. Let's hear it for him!"

The crowd cheered again. Brandon, after realizing he'd been introduced and not wanting to look like a scrub, stood up straight and saw the many patrons of this club looking right him. There were humans, elves, pixies, nymphs, centaurs, satyrs, and even a couple of minotaurs cutting a rug on the dance floor. Brandon recalled the bad experience he and his friends had when confronting a minotaur in the halls of Alfea when the girls called them over to help clean up. No doubt he'd give those lumbering things a wide birth when the music started.

The doors closed behind them and the couple went on in. Disco lights gave the room the appearance of the night sky. The stage was set in the far back where the DJ was really bringing down the house. A dwarf served beverages at the bar, proving that his kind was as skilled with the mug as they were with the hammer, twirling not one or two, but three shaken-not-stirred drinks in the air before pouring them for a bunch of teenagers.

Speaking of which, the whole crowd was filled with young bucks and sexy ladies. It was a venerable plethora of hotness the likes seen in only the most exclusive clubs.

Leaning in so as to be heard over the ruckus, Brandon spoke into Stella's ear. "Stella, what is this place?"

"The _Starlight and Shadows_! The swingiest underground club in all of Solaria."

"Really?"

"If there's a better one, I haven't heard of it. Though I will find out eventually." She smiled. "I know all the best hangouts for the pretty and popular."

Brandon took the place in. "It's nice."

"Nice? Sweetie, people would face a dragon to get in here."

"I think that Cyclops guy would be more than enough."

"Broar? He's a kitty cat."

"With one hell of a friendly disposition."

"The fact that he even spoke to you means he likes you. Usually he won't even acknowledge boys."

"Then I'm honored."

"You should be." She wrapped her arms around him. "You get to spend the night with me."

"Then I'm _really_ honored." He laughed as he scooped Stella up and they began to dance.

--

"Crud," Lady Ophelia said when she realized she'd lost them. That's what happens when you try to follow people without being seen. The constant need to hide behind walls and corners had given the princess and her boy toy ample distance between them and their pursuer. It also didn't help that she had to chase after them while wearing heels and a cumbersome festival dress. This would not do, she told herself. Taking a brief moment, Ophelia waited for them to stop before she hid behind the street corner and used her magic to change her outfit.

Gone was her gown. In its stead was a pair of nice blue slacks with black, calf-high boots. She also wore an orange turtle-neck sweater that clung nicely to her frame. Her bun disappeared, allowing her luscious brown hair to fall about her back like a cape. This formal wear would allow her to better blend in with the locals and have her keep up with the couple.

It was only a few seconds. Yet that's how long it took for her to lose them. She peered out to find that Stella and Brandon were nowhere to be seen. "Where could they have gone?" she asked herself. Not bothering to hide anymore, Ophelia ran to where she last saw them and looked around. There were several side streets they could have gone down though none looked promising…or welcoming. Berating herself for her carelessness, Ophelia felt ready to throw a temper tantrum when she heard the sound of a heavy door slamming shut.

Nimbly, the young duchess followed that sound to a small alley with a mangled lamp barely illuminating a large red door. As she approached the door, Ophelia heard what appeared to be laughter. One of those laughs was deep and throaty, but the other was feminine. It sounded like…like Princess Stella!

"I've found you." Lady Ophelia allowed herself a smile if only for this small victory. Taking a deep breath, she waited a few moments before knocking on the door. The invisible peephole appeared. "Who are you?"

She smiled. "Greetings, good sir. Would you be kind enough to open this door and let me in?"

"What's the password?"

"Password?" Ophelia repeated. "I'm…not sure."

"Then come back when you are." The hole vanished.

"How rude," she scoffed. Knocking again, Ophelia waited for the doorman to answer. When he did she took on a more authoritative demeanor. "See here, doorman. I am a duchess and a such you are bound to obey my command. Now I will kindly request that you open this door immediately and let me in."

She could swear she heard him laugh. "Don't look much like a duchess to me. Guess the nobles are really slumping nowadays aren't they?"

"How dare you? Slumping?" She looked at her clothes. "This is a fine attire."

"I guess. But you could be wearing the most expensive clothes on Solaria and you're still not getting in unless I hear the password."

"Is that really necessary?"

"If you want to get in."

She sighed. "Very well. Let's see here…the password is: Solaria."

"Try again."

"All hail the King."

"Nope."

"All hail the Queen?'

"Keep trying."

"Stella."

"Uh-uh."

"Princess Stella?"

"Nice try."

"Ridiculous!"

"That's not it either."

"No I mean this is ridiculous." Ophelia grew angry. "Open this door this instant, you low-class whelp."

"Sticks and stones, girly, sticks and stones." The eye narrowed. "There's a nice little place down on Prince and Gold Avenue that's probably more to your liking. Full of stuck-up brats. You'll fit right in. Now beat it!" The hole closed.

On the verge of screaming, Ophelia remembered her upbringing and calmed herself. A lady of the court does not allow her emotions to get the better of her. Rather, she used cunning and skill to outsmart her enemies. And when that didn't work, there's always magic.

Knocking one more time, the angry doorman glared down at her. "Look, lady, I've had it up to here with your…" he stopped when Ophelia waved her hand and spelled him.

"Good. Now would you kindly open the door?"

"Yes, my lady." The voice lost all criticism and the body immediately went about opening the door. Ophelia winced when she saw the man was actually a Cyclops and quickly turned away. "Oh dear. You will not remember letting me in," she told him. "Once I am gone you will return to your business as if nothing happened. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lady." Under her spell, the Cyclops would follow any order she had given him short of taking his own life.

"Good." Ophelia walked down the dark hallway until she reached the large iron-wrought doors. She could hear music blaring in the background and the sounds of many people having a good time.

"Once more unto the breech," she quoted before taking a deep breath and stepping forward. The doors opened, admitting her into the _Starlight and Shadows_.

--

Brandon and Stella had already begun to sweet by the time the DJ put on a second performance. All around them, hot, sweaty bodies brushed up against their own, filling the air was an aroma that was both putrid and arousing at once. Brandon understood why young people liked to dance so much. It was the closest thing to sex without the fear of catching a disease or having one's girlfriend wind up pregnant. It was also the best way to express how much you mean to that special someone with your clothes still on.

After about twenty minutes of this he wanted nothing more than to shed his outer layers. Soaked from head to toe, Brandon was getting tired and it was so hot in here that he felt a rush of heat wherever he turned his head. After one last performance, he asked Stella if they could get something drink. Stella wasn't thirsty, she could have gone on all night, but she humored her boyfriend and joined him at the bar. The dwarf made them a beverage of their choice, which Stella chose since recent experience taught Brandon to be very wary of Solarians bearing drinks, a fruit concoction mixed with a little gin. Brandon gulped it down in one swipe. He may be a newbie on the dance scene but if there's one thing Eraklyonites could do was drink.

"Another one, my good dwarf."

The bartender chuckled. "I like a human who knows how to drink."

Brandon eagerly accepted his next serving and drank it down. Tapping it on the counter was a signal for a third. "I can down it with the best of them."

"You're really putting those away, hon," Stella said. She'd been nursing her first glass. "I don't want to have to drag you back to the palace. You know Sky's going to be here to pick you up later. I suggest you stay sober."

"No need to worry, Stell. I know when to quit." He finished his third and tapped it down again.

"Is that so?" She asked with a smirk. "See the guy I love never quit anything in his life."

"Must be one hell of a guy." This time, Brandon sipped the drink while watching Stella. Maybe it was the alcohol or the flashing lights or a combination of the two, but she looked more beautiful now than she had ever been. Not that Stella needed the aid of an intoxicating beverage to look stunning. Brandon really lucked out. Here he was having the time of his life with the girl of his dreams. What more could a hero ask for?

"Wanna dance?" he asked.

Stella looked at him. "Again?" She saw him nod. Leaning back on the counter, Stella drank what was left of her cocktail and gave him a smile. "I'm game."

Brandon finished his and turned to regard the bartender. "If you'll excuse us." Taking Stella's glass he placed it on the counter and, taking her hand, returned to the dance floor. "We'll be right back," he said to the dwarf.

"Take your time," the dwarf immediately began washing both glasses. "To be young again." His smile broadened underneath his thick red beard.

The announcer took the stage. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen. We've got a special treat for you. One of the risings stars in the Solarian underground has decided to grace us with a performance. She's made it big in the outer provinces and now she's here to sing for us. The _Starlight and Shadows_ welcomes…Miss Raven!"

The crowd roared as a beautiful ebony-skinned girl with white hair appeared on stage. Her band set up as she introduced herself. "How we all doing tonight? That good huh?" Laughs. "It's a real honor and a pleasure to be here tonight. Now I want to play you a song that's dear and close to my heart. It's inspired by an old Elvish folk song that thankfully did not die out when the Fair Folk left for the stars. I can see some of them in this room with us tonight. I'm sure you all know the words. The rest of you will catch on quick. That's right. It's that good." A guitar rip sounded out and the band soon followed. Raven began to sway her hips and body in tune with the music. "Here we go now."

At once everyone started dancing. Brandon and Stella took their place near the center and while they were surrounded by a hundred other patrons, they danced as if they were the only ones in the room.

_Give me one reason why you look so sad._

_A heart like yours wasn't made for that._

_Give me your hand, I'll pull you through._

_Give me some time and I swear to you,_

_Every Night!_

_I'll be so close._

_Every Night!_

_Hey don't you know?_

_You and Me…_

_Were made to be in Love._

_Don't let them tear us apart._

_You and Me…were made for love._

_Baby you know it's a matter of fact,_

_I can't stand by when you feel like that._

_Baby you know when it comes to love,_

_I've got time and that's time enough._

_Every Night!_

_I'll be so close._

_Every Night!_

_Hey don't you know?_

_You and Me…_

_Were made to be in Love._

_Don't let them tear us apart._

_You and Me._

_You're all I ever need._

_Look in my eyes and you'll see,_

_You and Me…were made for love._

Brandon and Stella danced as one. This was their song. It expressed everything they meant to one another and what it meant to have each other.

_Moving out your door,_

_You can never know._

_You continue life,_

_Just go looking for._

_You can run, but you'll be living a lie._

_You and Me…_

_Were made to be in Love…_

A guitar solo split the air and everybody went wild.

_You and Me…_

_Were made to be in Love._

_Don't let them tear us apart._

_You and Me._

_You're all I ever need._

_Look in my eyes and you'll see,_

_You and Me…_

_Were made to be in love._

_Don't let them tear us apart._

_You and Me._

_You're all I ever need. (Ohh)_

_Look in my eyes and you'll see,_

_You and Me._

_Were made to be in love (Ohh)_

_Don't let them tear us apart_

_You and Me…_

The crowd cheered as the song came to its conclusion. Brandon and Stella seemed to be coming out of a deep sleep. Amid the screaming and cries for an encore, they stared longingly into each other's eyes.

It was Brandon who broke the spell. "It's uh…kind of stuffy in here ain't it?"

Stella smiled at him. "You're right. Let's go."

Hand in hand, they slowly made their way towards the exit. Brandon waved apologetically to the bartender as he had promised to return for another drink. The burly old dwarf smiled and waved him to go on. He was young once and knew Brandon had better things to do. His eyes teared up after watching them leave. Seeing those two together like that, with the song playing and hearing the words, brought back priceless memories of his youth. He wished Brandon and Stella nothing but happiness.

Nearby at the end of the bar, another pair of eyes watched them leave though this person wished them anything but. Lady Ophelia got off her stool and began to follow them out, intent on putting a stop to this travesty once and for all.

--

They left the _Starlight and Shadows_ a bit tipsy but otherwise okay. Walking out into the street, Stella laughed for no apparent reason than being with Brandon. He loved that sound. He could listen to her laughing forever and would if nature did not demand he eat, sleep and go to the bathroom every few hours.

"That was great, Stell. I never had that much fun at a party before."

"Guess things must be pretty dull where you come from, honey, cause we party like that all the time on Solaria."

"Really?" Brandon asked. "Know how I can apply for citizenship?"

"It helps to know somebody on the inside."

"How about the princess?"

"If she likes you enough," she teased.

With a sudden gesture, Brandon grabbed Stella around the waist and whipped her about until she was face to face with him with no way of breaking free. Hands on his chest, Stella stared longingly into his eyes as he said, "And does she?"

Closing her eyes briefly, the look she gave Brandon said it all. "More than you can possibly know." Their lips met and for the first time in their lives they knew true happiness.

After several blissful seconds they parted and returned to staring into each other's eyes. From out of the corner they caught sight of someone watching them. Both turned to see a very attractive brown-haired girl with forest-green eyes gawking at them. "Can we help you?" Stella asked rather annoyed at her staring.

"Despicable."

"Excuse you?"

"P-Princess Stella. How could you?!"

She eyeballed the girl. "Do I know you?"

Brandon looked her up and down. His eyes lit up with realization. "Stella, I think that's Lady Ophelia!"

"What?" Stella broke away from Brandon—the later looking like she'd just removed his heart. "What are you doing here? Are you following us? What's with the getup? Are you trying to bite my style?" The questions came one after the other.

Ophelia glared at Stella with hate-filled eyes. "So it really is true. You are lovers with this boy."

"Well I wouldn't say lovers. Not yet anyway. But he is my boyfriend and…hey! Don't change the subject. Now I want to know what you're doing here, Ophelia."

"I saw you and this…this…pauper fleeing the palace together. At first I was curious what you two could be doing defying the king's orders. I thought you meant to help the boy escape house arrest but instead I find you fraternizing with this farm boy."

Brandon raised his hand. "Actually I was born in a fishing village."

"Don't you dare talk about my Brandon like that! Who do you think you are questioning my taste in men? You jealous?"

"Of you? Never."

"Then what the hell's your issue with my Brandon?"

"He's not of noble blood."

"What of it?"

"He's not meant to be courting a princess."

"I'll date whoever the hell I want!"

"You bring shame to the Royal Family!" Ophelia exclaimed. She was so upset it seemed she had difficulty breathing. "You have no honor! Just like your mother."

_SLAP!!_

So quiet was the street that it sounded like something had fallen on the floor. Ophelia was in shock. The left side of her face was red with Stella's handprint and it burned her so. Princess Stella was fuming. Her teeth bared, she had to prevent herself from throttling the bitch right then and there. "Don't…you…_ever_…speak of my mother…_your_ queen…like that, again! You understand?!"

Recovering from the blow, Ophelia rubbed her cheek. She lowered her gaze seemingly ashamed but in reality was just as angry as the princess. She just had more class not to strike out at her opponent like that. Should the situation call for it, the lady was very capable of going to fisticuffs.

"And why not?"

Stella overheard her mutter. "What?"

"Why not?" Ophelia raised her eyes—they were so furious that even the normally unshakable Stella was taking two steps back. "Why not speak of her that way? Do you have any idea what your mother did to mine? Do you have any idea the shame she brought upon my family?" She balled her fists beside her. "That night, five years ago, the present I handed to you was genuine. My grandmother, the Duchess Sylvia, placed a rust spell on the tiara which caused it to break and shatter. That's why it broke. I came to your party as a friend. Your mother, Queen Tranquiless, insulted us that night by questioning our honor. She instigated my mother of cowardness and threatened to imprison us all. You say this woman is my queen. NOT my queen. NEVER my queen. She's the _coward_. She's the one who took my mother's life for fear of her growing importance in the court."

"My mother would never,"

"Face the truth, princess! Your mother is as dishonorable as they come. My grandmother's actions that night were meant to open my eyes to the truth. Even now, she's left your father's side. Do you think it's a trial separation? Ha! Don't fall yourself, princess. The Royal Court is split down the middle. The queen's dark heart and the king's ineptitude have left the monarchy weak and vulnerable. The common folk today have no respect for the nobility. They laugh at us behind our back and disregard our decrees. They sense our weakness. They know we are no longer in control of the destiny of this planet. Foreigners from across the realms manipulate Solarian politics and enemies assail our borders. Our world is on the verge of destruction."

She took step towards Stella. "But it's not just your parents. You are responsible as well. You treat your position as if it's a popularity contest. You slack off in school and shrug your responsibilities when you should be preparing for your future as queen. I believed in you once, Stella. But now that I see you here with that outsider, I see just how far you've fallen." She shook her head. "I cannot…nay!...I will not stand by and watch our glorious kingdom crumble under your leadership. This ends now, princess!"

For one of the few times in her life, Stella was left speechless.

Brandon, who'd been quietly watching the whole exchange, didn't know what to make of it. He never followed politics back home let alone those of other realms and he knew as a non-Solarian he should mind his own business but he had to speak up. He was Brandon. "Look, Ophelia,"

"Lady." She barked at him. "Don't address me as you peer."

"Right. Lady Ophelia. I don't understand what's going on between you and Stella but you can't blame all your problems on her. Look, my best friend is a prince. A lot of people back home would say he's not the standard for the title, but that doesn't make him any less noble. Eraklyon is not the same place it was a hundred years ago. Times change and kingdoms change with it. So what if the monarchy is not what is used to be. That doesn't mean you can't make things better for your people. Being a noble doesn't make you noble, your actions do that."

She scoffed. "What would you know about being noble?"

"I'd hardly say I'm the best candidate but I always try to do what's right. I don't always succeed. Hell I fail more times than not. But I don't stop trying. If your beef is with the Queen then take it up with her, not Stella."

"Did you not hear me? The princess is part of the problem."

"Then help her become part of the solution. You have issues, tell her about them. She'll listen. Stella is always willing to listen. Believe me when I say she's the best damn princess there is because unlike most she thinks with her heart and let's her actions define who she is, not her title." He smiled when he looked at her.

Stella smiled back. "Thank you, snookums."

"I meant every word."

Ophelia looked at Brandon. His words seemed to make a strange sort of sense. True in all the bad blood between their families, Stella had never done anything to disgrace the House of Corona. In fact, it had often been her voice that drowned out her mother's call for retribution against the noble houses and at least she treated the other nobles with respect and kindness. Could it be that she may have an ally in the Royal Family all along?

_No_. She could not forget what had happened to her mother. But that was the queen, not the princess. She remembered Stella and her father attending her mother's funeral. As people lined up to pay their respects, a young Princess Stella walked over to embrace a crying Ophelia and, to the surprise of all, cried with her. Was this the princess Brandon was talking about?

Her rage subsiding, Ophelia gazed at Stella who so happens was watching her with heart-filled eyes. It almost shamed her to look at them. When carrying hate within one's soul for so long, it's easy to overlook a friend, but difficult to admit when you've been wrong.

"Ophelia," Stella reached out a hand. "Let's talk."

"Princess…"

"How touching." A strong male voice carried through the night air.

As the trio searched for the voice it was Brandon who spotted him first. "There!" Up on the nearest roof they saw a tall man wearing a long blue robe with a hood. His face was shrouded save for his mouth which spoke menacingly. "Well, princess. If you are so willing to listen then heed these words. Your days of blemishing our once-proud kingdom have come to an end. Solaria will no longer tolerate your insidious fancies. Take her!" At his command, several cloaked men leaped from the rooftops and surrounded the princess.

"Stella!" Brandon cried out and rushed the men. One of them removed an object from his cloak and turned it on Brandon. It was a small rod that when pressed fired a net that ensnared Brandon and sent him spiraling backward until he hit the wall across the street. There, the net kept him pinned like a fly in a spider's web. He couldn't move. He couldn't fight. He couldn't help Stella.

"Brandon!" So surprised was Stella that she didn't see one of the hooded men sneak up behind her and press a handkerchief to her face. The aroma put her sleep and try as she might she could not fight against it. Immobilized, the men took the princess with them as they fired grappling hooks upward. Ophelia watched in frozen shock as the princess was kidnapped. Up on the roof, the man holding Stella handed him off to their leader and he looked down at Brandon. "I see this girl means a great deal to you, boy. If you care to see her safe, then come meet me at the Temple of a Thousand Stars. I promise you it really won't be a night you'll soon regret." Laughing, he and his entourage fled the scene.

Brandon watched in anguish as they took his love away from him. He screamed her name but to no avail…

…she was gone.


	4. I'm a Hero It's just what I do

**Well it's finally happened. We've come to the end of a beautiful story. I say "beautiful" because I put so much emotion into writing it that it saddens me to close the final chapter. I can't believe it's taken me this long to finish it, but as I constantly remind myself a story will take as long as it takes…or as long as it takes for inspiration to set on in. This is short story with some of the longest chapters I've ever written, but so much happens that it may as well have been ten times the amount. With the new season of Winx coming to us next year, I have the utmost confidence that inspiration will strike me yet again and I can create another work that has been as rewarding and pleasurable as this one. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me thus far, and bless you for being writers. Don't ever stop.**

--

I'm a Hero. It's just what I do.

After much struggling, and with great cost to his skin, Brandon forced his way free of the net. He collapsed to the ground, the ordeal having forced him to dig into his reserves of strength. Lines of blood appeared on his skin, the net having cut deep and even shredding a bit of his clothing. Brandon had recovered from far worst in his day so the wounds were only superficial. In fact, he was standing on his own two feet within moments of freeing himself. Granted he was a little woozy from the minor blood loss but he steeled his nerves and eventually regained control of his limbs.

Cuts and scraps were the least of his worries. The only thought on his mind now was rescuing Stella from those masked men. Seeing her stolen away from him like that, and by hooded cowards no less, Brandon was filled with a vengeful fury.

He was so furious that he had completely forgotten about Lady Ophelia. The duchess had watched the entire exchange in stunned silence. She was just as startled by the arrival of the kidnappers as Brandon and Stella had been and was frozen in place during the process. Actually, it had all happened so fast that she couldn't react. The men appeared, took Stella, immobilized Brandon, and ran off before she fully comprehended what had happened. Such inaction was unbecoming a duchess, but Ophelia had never experienced a kidnapping before. As prideful as she was, Ophelia was a sheltered woman, never once having to face a dangerous situation. She knew how to defend herself, but never had to use her teachings in battle. Besides, they were after Stella, not her. She was never in any danger.

So why did she feel the need to get involved?

"Master Brandon," she began, finally coming out of her stupor. "Are you all right?"

"No I'm not all right! They took Stella!" His voice boomed, causing the duchess to take two steps back. Fists clenched at his side, Brandon appeared ready to leap into the air and give chase. Surely they were long gone by now but that would not keep him from trying. "Bastards!" He bared his teeth. "Why would they do something like this? Who the hell were they?"

"I…" Ophelia began but suddenly stopped when Brandon turned on her.

"You know something about this?"

She remained silent.

With amazing speed, Brandon shut the distance between them to nil, his strong hands clutching Ophelia on her arms, his grip so strong she could not help but squeal. Brandon brought her in close, his hot breath on her face, blaring into her with an angry voice. "What do you know? Talk!"

"You are hurting me."

"Talk!"

"Stop!" She began to glow.

The magical discharge between them was enough to send both of them rolling back. Brandon recovered his footing quickly thanks to tricks Riven taught him about being a thief. Ophelia on the other hand faltered and fell, landing flat on her rear end.

Still angry, Brandon approached her, his footsteps heavy as if the anger boiling inside of him had become too much for his body to hold. Looming over Ophelia, Brandon's normally friendly brown eyes had turned dark and dangerous. They bore into Ophelia as she cowered before him.

Cringing, the duchess held up her hands. "Please don't hurt me."

Then he snapped….out of it.

The words made Brandon realize what he had become. With a mental slap, his face changed and softened. He could see how frightened the lady had become and it was because of him that she was so. Now it was he who stepped back in disbelief. In one moment he had turned from a hero to a monster; the things he'd fought against all his life. _What am I doing?_

Falling to one knee, Brandon slumped his head and his form, prostrating himself before Ophelia. "I'm sorry, my lady," his voice had become a hoarse whisper. "Forgive me."

Finally looking up, Ophelia had seen what had become of the man she thought would harm her. He was shamed. Ophelia had seen the signs on many a fallen warrior. To men-at-arms, honor was everything. It was the blood in their veins, the steel in their armor, and their reason for living. Brandon had just stained his by his prior actions and only by begging for forgiveness did he see himself repenting. But no, it was not Ophelia who had to forgive him; it was himself.

Getting herself up, Ophelia approached Brandon with care. She was still shaken up by what almost happened. Once she was sure he was under control of his inner demons she did something remarkable; Lady Ophelia knelt down beside him, placed a hand on his wounded shoulder, and said, "I forgive you."

That made Brandon look up. Staring into her forest-green eyes startled him at first. Brandon had only seen eyes that wondrous on one person before: Stella. Strange how she should remind him of her of all people. Inside those eyes he saw the same kindness that he would see when he looked at Stella; the same wonderful person who loved him for who he is rather that what he was. All manner of rage left him at that moment.

"I forgive you, Brandon. Do you hear me? I forgive you."

"I am so sorry."

"You were angry."

"That's no excuse." Brandon sat back and brought his knees up. "I let them take her. Stella is gone and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it. I was helpless. Useless! I was so mad I took it out on the first person I saw. You did nothing to deserve it but I still went and almost did something I know I would have regretted the rest of my life." He sighed aloud. "I'm so ashamed."

"Don't be."

"Why not?"

"Because you are an honorable man…who was hurt. We all do foolish things when we are hurt. All of us are guilty of such behavior. Myself included." Then she turned away.

Brandon looked up at her. "Lady?"

"Your hand need not be on the hilt of the sword to have harmed the life of an innocent. Just knowing makes you an accomplice. Master Brandon…I believe Lord Cathan has abducted the princess."

His eyes widened. "What?!"

"After you and he had that exchange earlier in the evening, I spoke to him. He said he was off to attend a personal matter and left with his entourage. I fear that his intent had been to kidnap Princess Stella in order to force you into a rematch."

Brandon could not believe his ears. If what she said was true then not only was Lord Cathan one of the biggest assholes he had ever met, he was nothing short of suicidal. Brandon would kill anyone who hurt Stella, but to use her to get to him wasn't nothing short of insanity! He would not kill Lord Cathan, he would _destroy_ him!

Ophelia averted her gaze. "I did not understand what he meant when he said he had ensured the future of our kingdom. Never had I imagined he would take such far-reaching actions. Should the king ever find out he would be imprisoned forever—his family estate confiscated and his family dishonored! He would have single-handedly brought down his own House. Such betrayal is the worst kind conceivable. He," She turned to him. "He has lost his mind!"

"He's about to lose more than that," Brandon said, a dangerous edge ebbing his voice.

"Please!" She begged with him. "I do not agree with what Lord Cathan has done but he is still a nobleman of Solaria. His beliefs are misguided but he loves his home as I do. His intentions may be honorable but,"

"Honorable? Ophelia, he's kidnapped the heir to the throne of your kingdom! What's worse, he's using her to bait me into a trap." Brandon glared at his fists, clenching so hard they started to hurt. "It wasn't enough to humiliate me in front of the king and every one at the festival. Now he wants to use me to," he stopped. A frightening scenario played across his mind. "No."

Ophelia stared at him quizidly. "What is it?"

"That son of a bitch!"

Taken aback by his tone rather than his language, the duchess moved away. "Master Brandon!"

"Think about it, Lady Ophelia. You and he obviously don't like what Stella's been up to, right?" It took a moment before she nodded. "That's exactly it!"

"You are not making much sense, Eraklyonite."

"What I mean is he wants Stella out of the way…permanently. With Stella gone, there will be no heir to the throne, which means the power will fall to the great Houses. If that happens, then they will control Solaria."

"You mean to tell me that Lord Cathan will attempt to…kill…the princess?" The very notion made Ophelia all queasy. Sure she was right wing, but she had never considered doing something as radical as what Brandon had suggested. "But that is treason! It would mean civil war!"

"Not if someone else did it," Brandon went on. "Consider this, I charge in to fight Lord Cathan, he and his goons overpower me. He kills Stella and brings her corpse and myself, in chains, back to the palace. It will be his word against mine; the lord of one of the most powerful and well-respected Houses on Solaria versus that of some outsider who just happened to have fallen into a drunken rage and attacked him and his men. I'm already on thin ice as it is with the king and his court. They'll believe anything he says."

Brandon had a difficult time believing it himself even as the pieces slowly began to fit together. "I can just hear the lies now: Princess Stella helped me escape the palace under some misguided notion of love. I, still drunk, take advantage of her. She tries to resist but I use force. I gain the upper hand and wind up taking her life. Lord Cathan and his men arrive just a moment too late to save her. Enraged, they beat me to within an inch of my life, drag me back to the palace to present me to the king alongside the murdered body of his only daughter. King Radius will probably kill me on sight. He'd then declare war on Eraklyon. The king will be too distraught after her death to care to investigate the matter himself."

"Dragging Solaria into a war that would weaken his position," Ophelia went on. "The people would rise up against him,"

"And the great Houses would rush in to fill in the power vacuum,"

"And take over the kingdom!" Ophelia cried. "Lord Cathan, you can't!"

"The guy's a radical, Lady Ophelia. Whatever his feelings for your realm, he's ready to plunge it into a war that will cost the lives of thousands for the sake of power. That's not a very noble thing to do now is it?" He leaned in closer to her. "There's a word for guys like that: tyrant!"

"No!" Screaming, she shot up and began to pace. "I won't believe it! Lord Cathan is a good man he would never…he couldn't…he wouldn't…" Pulling at her hair, the noblewoman reared back her head and screamed. "I trusted you!"

"Men like him don't deserve your trust, my lady." Brandon stood up now. "He's nothing more than a terrorist and terrorists don't care about causes, or honor, and they sure as hell don't care about lives. All they care about is forcing others to do what they want them to do and damn the innocents lost! He's a nobleman in name only!"

Ophelia stopped pacing but did not look at him. The pain of the betrayal was too much for her to bear.

"I've seen noblemen, duchess. My best friends are all noblemen. Only one of them may be a prince, but they each share the same traits: honor, loyalty, self-sacrifice, courage, strength of character, that's where nobility comes from. Lord Cathan doesn't even begin to compare. He's a fraud, Ophelia. He's a traitor to everything you hold dear."

"I…can't…believe…"

"Believe." Grabbing her again, this time gently, Brandon turned her so they were face to face. He waited until she opened her eyes for him to speak. "He's as much your enemy as he is mine. He has to be stopped. Please, Lady Ophelia, will you help me? I can't do this on my own."

"You can't?" She asked.

"Of course not. I have no idea where the Temple of a Thousand Stars is!"

Unable to hold back any longer, she laughed. Brandon chuckled with her.

"Amazing," she started. "How you can inject humor into such a tense situation?"

"I owe that to my friends."

Ophelia stared at him. "Are they really that incredible?"

"Without them, I would not be the man I am today."

"I can see that now."

"Sure. But don't tell them I said that. Especially Riven. He'd go out on the town if he knew I got all mushy."

"No. I mean I can see why she loves you."

Brandon blushed.

Ophelia just smiled. "You are an incredible man, Master Brandon. You can be a little unorthodox at times but you can still pass for a warrior and a gentleman."

"Um…thanks?"

"It is a compliment I assure you."

Releasing her from his grasp, Brandon stepped away. He cringed slightly when one of his new wounds reminded him it was still around. "Gotta hand it to Cathan; that was some fancy equipment."

"My mother once told me that a great warrior need not rely on his weapons to see the mission through."

The comment gave Brandon pause. "T-That's the Sixth Rule of Heroics! Where'd she learn that?"

"From my father," she told him. "You see, he was once of Red Fountain."

"Serious?"

"Deadly. Which is what I'm about to become when we meet _Lord_ Cathan."

"So you'll help me?"

"Unless you know your way around the city."

"Believe me I'll take what I can get." He winced again.

"Then let's start with this." She began to glow and with a touch all the wounds on Brandon's body disappeared.

The spell ended, Brandon was recharged. While his clothes were still damaged, he felt better than he had several moments ago. "Great stuff!" He said, flexing his muscles.

"It's a spell for minor cuts and bruises. Not as effective as a healing potion but good for those with not a lot of time on their hands."

"Thank you, my lady."

"No need to be so formal, Brandon. You and I are partners now."

"We are?"

"Yes." She continued to glow. "And as partners I will not allow mine to go into battle like this. Hold still," Being a sorceress, Ophelia was well-versed in the Weave. She changed Brandon's tattered clothes into something more befitting of who he was inside. When she was done she stepped back, giving the glow time to dissipate. When it did, the lady's face beamed. "Now you look the part."

"Of what?" Brandon asked, still blinded by the light.

"A hero."

--

The Temple of a Thousand Stars, like many of the oldest buildings in the capital, was built by the ancient elven empire which once ruled this realm. It stood in the middle of a vast garden, surrounded by nature, and ringed by three flowing rivers in an oval design. The elves constructed the temple at what they believed to be the center of Solaria. Twelve monoliths encircled the temple as homage to the twelve gods of the Elven people. The temple itself was dominated by a vast dome whose surface would turn clear at night so that the stars may shine inside. It was reminiscent of an observatory and it is said that the elves were able to travel from one world to the next using the great iris located on the floor of the main dome. Whether that was true or not was never revealed for the elves took many of their secrets with them when they left for the stars.

Because humans worshipped their own gods, the temple had become more of a tourist attraction rather than a place of worship. Though a handful of elves and even a few non-elves still prayed to the ancient gods, the temple was rarely visited by anyone other than its most devout follower or most curious tourist. This seclusion made it the perfect place for Lord Cathan to have his duel with Brandon without attracting unwanted attention. The entire city was busy in celebration. No one would come to the temple tonight.

The beautiful city spread out before him in glorious light. He stood atop the great promenade at the highest level of the dome. He discarded his blue robe in favor of something more becoming a man of his prestige. He donned a purple dueling vest with the emblem of his house, a winged lion wearing a crown atop a red background, embezzled on his left breast. He wore black pants that were light to provide freedom of movement and pitch-black boots. His sword hung from his right side, the hilt was red with an emerald jewel on the tip. His gold hair he had pulled back to prevent it from getting in his eyes. A red bandana made of the richest silk kept his face clear. The light garments enabled him to move about uninterrupted, further complimenting his duelist form of combat.

With one leg atop the rail, Lord Cathan watched the city in solitary contemplation. _I know you are coming, Master Brandon. My sword eagerly awaits._

The sound of approaching footsteps did nothing to shake his stoic façade. Still wearing a blue cloak, one of his men stopped a respectful distance behind him and bowed. "My lord, all is ready."

"The men are in position?"

"Yes. We await the arrival of the outsider."

"Good. Return to your position."

The man turned to leave but stopped in half-turn. He looked at Cathan behind the cowl of his hood, unsure.

"Is there something else?" Cathan asked without turning around.

"My lord, it's just that…the princess," he tried to find the right words. "She's young."

"Monarchs grow up fast. Didn't anyone ever tell you that?"

"Yes, lord. But she is the king's daughter."

"You say that as if it should matter."

That seemed to unsettle the man even further. "We are going to kill her, aren't we?" The question came out as more of a statement as if he already knew.

"Sacrifices must be made to ensure the future of our realm."

"Forgive me, my lord, but this does not sit well with me."

"Oh?" Cathan casually looked over his shoulder. "And why shouldn't it?"

"Lord Cathan, I served you loyally for fifteen years. I've fought for you, fought beside you, slain enemies to our House and our kingdom without a second thought. Never have I questioned our actions for I believed in you and in our cause. I like so many am dissatisfied with the way things are and want to change them for the better. I love my realm. I love Solaria and I will do anything to protect her from threats inside or beyond our borders." That being said, the man took one brave step toward Cathan. "You know I speak the truth, Lord Cathan, when I say I would gladly die for Solaria if given the chance."

"But of course. Not once have I ever questioned your devotion to your homeland. But you 'beat around the bush' as the commoners say." He did an about face. "So tell me, Gareth, what is it that irks you so?"

Gareth was silent for a moment. He'd wanted to speak with his lord for a while now and with the chance before him he hoped to make the words just right. Finally, he lifted his head. "My lord, normally I would thrust myself upon the dagger of a hated foe than question you, but my conscience does not find solace with what has happened. My loyalty is to you and our House, but by default it means I've sworn an oath to protect the Royal Family. Princess Stella and her father may be misguided, but we are still their thanes. We have sworn to protect them with our lives. The thought of letting either of them come to harm, and by our hands no doubt, is morbidly alien."

"Your concerns are well noted, Gareth. I must admit even I find displeasure in what we are about to do. But consider this, if we do nothing and allow the princess to destroy our beloved kingdom with her reforms, then would we as guardians of the realm, have not failed in our true purpose?" He let Gareth think on it a moment before going on. "Let me ask you this, my friend, to whom do we owe our greatest loyalty? It is neither the princess nor the king. It is not the Royal Family, or even to the Great Houses. No. Our greatest loyalty is to Mother Solaria herself. The land, the history, the culture; it is this we have sworn our deepest fealty to the moment we take up the Sword of Allegiance."

Gareth remained silent.

"The Royal Family is simply the voice of the kingdom, but they are not the soul. We, the protectors of Solaria, the ones who shed their blood gladly in her defense, are that soul. How many wars have we fought in, Gareth? How many enemies have we slain in the king's name? How many of our brothers have perished in far-flung battlefields, left to die alone and forgotten? Their voices have been silenced forever. We are all that remain of their sacrifice and courage. We are their legacy. If we allow these heinous reforms to continue then we would be allowing the Solaria our brothers have died for to die with them. Does that sound fair?"

"No," Gareth said almost immediately.

"Who more deserving of leading one's homeland than those who would die for it? The Royal Family sits in their luxurious palace surrounded by servants who pamper them day and night. They coddle the people, making them believe all is well when it could not be further from the truth. The princess believes the kingdom is her own personal play pen. She does not take her position seriously and never will. Do you know why? Because she has been poisoned by drabs! She is only a Solarian in blood, but the very fiber of her being is alien. She even gives herself willing to a foreigner, and a common one no less!"

Heated by his own words, Gareth saw Cathan's eyes boil over. "No! I tell you no! I will not stand for it. I've lost too many friends to fruitless conflicts to keep a weak-willed king and his spoiled bitch of a daughter on the throne. The people need leadership and dammit that is what the Houses will do!"

"But does the princess need to die?"

"She MUST die! So long as there is a legitimate heir there is always the threat of civil war. We cannot have our people turn against one another, Gareth. We are weak enough as it is."

"But killing the princess would surely accomplish just that!"

"Not if we turn the blame on another."

When he said nothing more, Gareth gasped. "The Eraklyonite!"

Cathan nodded. "If we make it appear that it was he who slew our princess, the king will have no choice but to declare war on Eraklyon. The ensuing struggle will strengthen our forces while weakening the king. Lives will be lost, but in the end Solaria will be born anew and stronger than ever." Cathan approached Gareth and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Do you understand now? I do not like this anymore than you but we've been left with no choice. It is either war and destiny, or peace and stagnation. Our people were once the greatest of warriors. Our legacy demands we take a stand. Are you with me, Gareth?"

"To the end," came the response.

"I knew I could trust in you. Now return to your post. The men may wonder where you are."

"Of course, but one more question, lord? How do you plan on making it appear that the Eraklyonite killed the princess?"

Cathan smiled. "Leave that to me."

--

Princess Stella slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was groggy at first but gradually focused. "B-Brandon?"

Realizing he was gone, Stella's memory kicked in. "Hey! What the hell is going on?!"

She tried to move but found her body was not responding. She could feel her arms and legs well enough, but they were in bondage. Stella was laying spread eagle on circular floor a hundred feet in diameter. On the floor was the design of the known universe with every star, planet and system in existence. Stella recognized this as the celestial chamber of the Temple of a Thousand Stars. She'd visited it a few times and was greatly impressed by its architecture. Got to hand it to those elves, they had some serious style.

This time, however, she was not too happy to be here. "Hello! Is anyone there? I demand you release me this instant!" There was no reply. "You guys are in so much trouble."

Try as she might, the fiery princess could not release herself from her bondage. "Okay. If brute strength won't get me out of this, then maybe a little winx will do the trick." Stella began to glow as her magic made its way to the surface. Unfortunately, no sooner did this happen when she yelped as her magic was stunted. "What in the…" She was cut off the by the sound of footsteps. "Who's there?"

"Your winx magic will not help you, princess," said a male voice. "Only elven magic works here. Any outside sources are immediately repulsed by the spirit of the temple."

"Spirit of the temple? Are you saying this place is alive?"

"In a sense. The walls and floors are made from moonstone, which was rare even in the time when Solaria was called by a different name. When the elves created their ancient structures, they imbued them with the essence of their creators. Think of it as leaving a little bit of themselves behind to watch over their work."

Stella strained to see the man but could no more turn her head than arch her back backwards.

"So you see your attempts at escape are utterly futile."

"Who are you? Get over here so I can see you."

"As you wish, my princess." She heard the man approach and when he finally appeared in her range of vision she saw that he was one of the cloaked men who had kidnapped her. "Is this better?"

"You!" She struggled to move. "What do you think you're doing? When my father hears of this,"

"I'm afraid he'll be otherwise preoccupied with the invasion of Eraklyon."

"Eraklyon? What are you talking about?"

"The good king will want to avenge the death of his only daughter at the hands of the lowly cur who murdered her."

"Start making sense, blue boy."

"Such un-princess-like decorum."

"Let me go and I'll show you how un-princess-like I can be."

She saw a hint of disgust cross his face. "My lord was right. You are not fit to rule. Things will be better when you are gone."

"Gone?" Stella asked. She did not like the sound of that one bit. "Am I going somewhere?"

The man reacted as if about to say something more but stopped himself. For some reason he could bring himself to answer that question. All he said as he turned to walk away were three, somber words: "Farewell, my princess."

"Hey! Get back here! What you mean by that? Get back where I can see you! Hey! I order you to return!" The last part seemed laughable but a monarch was just as likely to bark orders in a tense situation as an ogre was to threaten with the promise of pain. It was just her nature. Being a fairy, Stella did not like being tied up. It denied one her freedom and to any winged creature that was like being dead.

Dead.

Wait a minute, did that mean….

"You're not serious are you? You're not going to…" she could bring herself to finish. Since the formation of the Winx Club, Stella had faced death countless times. Of course she always had her girls with her, and her magic, and her wings, and she could move…except now all she had was a building sense of fear and a mouth to express how she felt about it.

"When I get out of this I'm going to kick all your asses!"

But that was about as likely of happening as the Trix coming to her rescue.

--

The hour was late when the first scout reported in. Gareth was beginning to think the outsider would not come. He asked himself what fool would willingly walk into such an obvious trap? Then he thought, a fool in love of course. Gareth had to give him credit; the boy had good taste. Even he had to admit that the princess was very beautiful if a bit spoiled. Her beauty was legendary in Solaria and in other kingdoms as well. From her glorious long, gold hair to her honey-colored eyes, to her sun-kissed skin, to her long, shapely legs – any man would fall head over heels for this stunningly attractive woman.

Gareth secretly longed for her himself. Seeing her strapped onto the floor of the celestial chamber, helpless and yet full of fire, he'd never seen a more wondrous sight. The provocative outfit she donned only furthered his feelings for her. It wasn't love by any means; Gareth knew something that powerful took time to develop. It wasn't lust either; and he surprised himself by considering it. While she was…sexy, as the commoners put it, Gareth's attraction to the princess was more one of admiration. He could just spend hours watching her, taking in her perfection with his awe-struck eyes. Staring would be impolite, he knew, but he fancied he could look at the princess forever and it would not be a wasted life.

Despite his feelings toward the princess, Gareth knew that soon enough her blood would be on his hands. Not literally of course. Lord Cathan admitted it was he who would be taking her life. The talk he and his lord had earlier eased many of his restrictions on the subject, but that did not mean he was over it. Any reservations he had until that moment he kept suppressed. Now was not the time to be questioning his master.

His blood chilled when the scout delivered the report. A lone man was making his way to the temple as they spoke. The chill was not from fear of the coming battle, but because he knew that soon the princess would die. All his prior reservations suddenly resurfaced. He hid his troubled features well from the scout who then ordered him to report to Lord Cathan while he readied the troops. The time has come. The destiny of his kingdom and his people was about to be decided.

It wasn't easy to miss him. There was nothing but open space between the temple and the bridge that separated it from the rest of the park. Two scouts were hanging on a monolith on either side of the bridge, their cloaks concealing crossbows readied and aimed and the approaching target. From this distance he appeared as no more than a growing dot. Eventually, Gareth could make out the form of a man wearing a body-length cloak. He was shrouded from head to toe in a cloth of stunning gold brown design. His steps were slow but determined as if confident that nothing could stop him. The scouts kept their weapons trained on him as he passed their position.

Gareth knew that there were other crossbows aimed at him as he approached. They had no intention of firing on him unless provoked. Any trickery would immediately be met with a hail of arrows. But Gareth knew that this would not be the case. From what he'd seen of the man Lord Cathan chose to cross swords with, there would be no treachery. But old habits die hard and soon even Gareth found himself aiming his crossbow the moment the man came within reach.

"Stop!" He commanded.

The figure stopped just thirty paces from the main entrance. "Remove your hood," Gareth told him.

Without hesitation, the man did just that. "Our lord has been anticipating you."

"I'm here for the princess," Brandon spoke with grim determination. He was looking at the window where Gareth's voice had come from and even then Gareth could feel the intensity in that stare. He shied back a little, his crossbow returning to its holster. "Where did you obtain the cloak?" He asked.

"My clothes were ruined. I didn't want to draw any attention on my way over here."

"But where did you find it?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm just curious."

"Where's Stella?" Brandon asked, changing the conversation.

"The princess? She's inside. Unharmed, I assure you."

"Let me see her."

"That's not up to me."

"Then bring him out here and let's get this over with."

His bluntness was getting on Gareth's nerves. "You do not make demands here, outsider."

"My name is Brandon."

Suddenly, the door beneath Gareth and in front of Brandon opened up. The blinding light that poured out from it was so bright that Brandon was forced to cover his eyes. He could make out a shadowy figure standing in the middle. "And so it is," came an all too familiar voice. "Welcome, Master Brandon. I was beginning to lose patience."

Glaring despite the light in his eyes, Brandon said, "I want to see Stella."

"And you will…_if_ you defeat me."

"You make it sound like a challenge."

"Do not mistake our previous squabble as an accurate interpretation of my skills, young master. Back then I had no intention of fighting you in front of the king and his host. This time will be different, for I have every intention of fighting you. And I need not my cohorts to do just that."

Doesn't this guy ever shut up?

Cathan stepped out of the light and the doors shut. Seeing the dueling outfit he donned almost made Brandon chuckle. Almost.

"What's with the pajamas?"

"Your mockery only proves your ignorance. A true warrior speaks with his sword."

"They also don't kidnap princesses. If we were in Red Fountain you'd flunk our Basics of Heroics course."

"That paltry excuse for an institution should have been destroyed ages ago. Allowing the likes of you into their halls only proves how lacking their standards have become. Any true champion would never have allowed the princess to be kidnapped in the first place."

"Your insults are empty, Lord Cathan. In fact, you're not a lord at all. You're just a coward. A snob-nosed, prissy-boy who thinks he has the right to decide the fate of his people. What I do now is not just for Stella but for the entire realm of Solaria. Let's get this over with. My ride's coming in about a half hour and Codatorta hates it when we're late."

"I care not for your curfews." Cathan's hand reached for his sword. "But if you are so ready to meet your maker then far be it from me to disappoint you."

"My lord," Gareth called from above.

"What is it?"

"His cloak." Something about it just irked the warrior and he would not let it pass.

"I think he wants it," Brandon said with a smirk.

"Gareth has always been a loyal thrall. I find it difficult to say no to him." Cathan pointed. "Remove it."

Two scouts magically appeared behind Brandon with crossbows lowered. Gareth leaped down from above to stand beside his lord. Seeing himself surrounded, Brandon could only shrug. "If you want it so badly." Grabbing it by the cowl, Brandon pulled it off and threw it at Gareth who caught it with one hand. Now both vassal and lord had a good look at what was underneath. Brandon was wearing gold armor; but not just any armor – it was the royal armor of a champion of Solaria. The seal of the sun and the phoenix covered his chest, the ember etching glowing with radiance. Behind him fluttered a cape of deep red making him look more intimidating. His sword, a red hilt with a ruby on the end, hung at his right side. The armor covered his whole body save for his head which held a very cocky smile. "Ready when you are."

Even Cathan gawked. That armor was reserved only for the greatest heroes of Solaria. There wasn't any way a commoner like Brandon could get his hands on it…except…

"The king!" He spat. "You have sought out the king's aid, haven't you?"

"No I didn't."

"How else could you obtain that holiest of armor? You sully it with your peasant skin! Have you lost your sensibilities?" Cathan turned to Gareth. "Gareth, have our men scout the area. I want to know if any of the king's men are encircling the temple."

"The king doesn't know I'm here."

"Don't lie to me boy! If so much as a single soldier is in the vicinity I'll make sure you never see the princess again." He turned back to Gareth. "Well?"

"Yes, my lord. You two, take the others and search the perimeter. Report back any sightings." The scouts nodded and vanished. Four more shadows joined them and disappeared.

"You think yourself smart, Master Brandon. But you are a fool to think I had not prepared for such an occasion." Cathan raised two fingers up toward his face. Closing his eyes, he began to chant in a strange language. Gareth realized what he was doing and stepped back.. A great white wall encircled the temple, blocking it off from the rest of the grounds. They were able to see outside but no one could see in. The wall was razor-thin yet a thousand armed men could not penetrate it.

"An ancient defense mechanism left by the elves," Cathan explained. "The entire royal army could not hope to break through the barrier. Defeating me is the only way to deactivate it."

"Got no problem with that." Brandon reached for his sword.

"One more thing," Lord Cathan said before they started. "In only a short time, the moon will hang directly over the temple. By then it will bath the interior of the temple with a powerful white light. This light I've heard is as hot as the sun, burning any of those who don't know the right protections. The princess is located within the celestial chamber, at the very heart of the temple. If you don't release her in time, she will be incinerated."

Brandon felt his blood grow cold.

"I'd say you have less than twelve minutes. Or rather, the monoliths," He regarded each of the standing pillars of moonstone. One of them, the one directly to the right of the bridge, was glowing. "When all of the monoliths are glowing, the moonlight will flood the celestial chamber. You have until then to save Princess Stella."

"Bastard!"

"If words are all the challenge you have to offer then she is already doomed." He got into a fighting stance. "Now then, shall we get started?"

Brandon grabbed his sword hilt. "Let's." His voice turned dangerously low.

Gareth got well clear of the two challengers and watched from afar. They stared one another down for a full minute. It wasn't until the next monolith began to glow that they screamed and charged each other, their swords meeting with a frightening crash.

--

Ophelia knew her moment had come when the battle began. The plan was for her to lay low until Cathan revealed the whereabouts of the princess. Then, as Brandon kept him busy, she would find and release her. The problem, as Brandon pointed out, was getting her close enough to do just that. Ophelia did not know any invisibility spells and she could not hope to infiltrate the temple by herself. That's where ingenuity came in.

She watched from cover as the two combatants met. Brandon's face was one of rage; promising swift retribution for the man who wronged him. Lord Cathan was smiling. He kept his emotions calm and under control. This is exactly what he expected of Brandon. Let the boy's anger make him careless – take advantage of his hate-fueled assertiveness and then strike when he least suspects it. Ophelia wondered if Brandon realized this or if he was just playing along. She had faith in his ability to stand against Lord Cathan…but as for defeating him?

He must last long enough for Ophelia to free the princess. Then the three of them can overpower Lord Cathan together. First there was the little matter of dealing with Cathan's right-hand man. Gareth, was too preoccupied watching the duel to notice her. If only he knew what was in store for him.

"What?" She heard Gareth ask. Ophelia froze, fearing she had been uncovered, but when she saw him holding a hand to his head and turning away to speak, she realized he was talking with someone. "None? Well keep looking. Make sure the entire area is clear of any soldiers. Lord Cathan has already erected the shield so await us outside until the last monolith is lit. By then it will already be too late."

She heard the scout on the other side acknowledge his orders before signing off. Whatever device they used to communicate was out of sight. The scouts would no doubt report back in at regular intervals as they went about their search. Should Gareth not reply back, they would rush back for fear of something having gone wrong. At least, she thought, they won't be able to get inside the barrier. With it activated, Cathan had effectively cut himself off from any aid. Now it was just him and Gareth. When she freed Princess Stella then it would be three against two. Ophelia liked those odds.

But let's see if she can improve them a bit more.

Gareth returned to watching the fight. With his attention so totally focused on Cathan and Brandon, Ophelia made her move.

It would seem that the cloak Gareth had been holding had come to life. It suddenly wrapped around his head, cutting off his sight and oxygen like some smothering serpent. Gasping, the man cried out for help but he was too far for Lord Cathan to hear. Besides, the cloak had prevented him from speaking and his lord was too engrossed in the fight against Brandon to notice. He fell back, feeling for air that wasn't there. Ophelia waited. She could feel his struggles getting weaker and weaker until he stopped moving. It was then that she released him from her trap. Her intention was never to kill Gareth, only immobilize him. With him out of the way there would be only Cathan to worry about and that's fine with her.

The cloak shifted, changing into the form of a beautiful young woman with brown hair and emerald eyes. Ophelia may not be able to render herself invisible, but she was adept at transmutation: that is, the art of changing objects into different forms. This also enabled her to take on the appearance of inanimate objects such as the cloak. She must admit it was fun having herself wrapped around Brandon's body. It was as close to intimacy she had ever been with a male. She wondered if Brandon and Princess Stella ever took it one step further.

_Behave yourself!_ Her nobility commanded. Such ragged notions were beneath her. Right now, she had a mission. Ophelia regarded Brandon who had led Cathan far enough away for her to move unseen. By then the third monolith was already lit and she knew she did not have much time.

Brandon looked stunning in his armor. Ophelia knew she was right in choosing that attire for him. The symbolism was not lost on her. Here was a man fighting not only for his love but for an entire kingdom. It was the stuff of stories sung by bards. Perhaps, when this is all over, Brandon's tale will be told during the next Festival of the Sun. She looked forward to hearing it.

Ophelia looked up at the temple. Cathan stated that Stella was within the celestial chamber. She knew where that was but there was a problem. All outside magic was forbidden inside the temple; a failsafe by the elves, which meant Ophelia could not use hers to fast-travel there as a kite or a rocket. She would have to traverse the vast innards of the temple herself with the clock ticking. She also realized, and this worried her more, how much hotter it would be the closer she made it to the chamber. The heat would make things much more difficult and if the princess was hurt she may have to carry her out.

One obstacle at a time, Ophelia.

For now, she gathered her courage and entered the temple.

_One obstacle at a time._

--

_Damn he's good!_

Despite his earlier assault, Brandon found himself on the defensive after a flurry of quick strikes forced him backward. Lord Cathan was amazing. His great size belied his incredible speed; moving with such fluidity that he could give Riven a few pointers. Still, the fact that Brandon managed to last this long without so much as a scratch was testament to his own ability as a fighter. Despite wearing heavier armor and wielding a bigger sword, he was able to parry each and every one of Cathan's blows.

That being said, he hated not being able to go on the offensive.

Cathan's movements were smooth and calculated – he would step in just enough to strike at Brandon before a small backstep placed him out of range. With Brandon's heavier gear forcing him to overcompensate for the smallest of maneuvers, this left the flow of battle completely in his opponent's hands. Cathan was in control which means he could dictate the rules of the fight. Brandon figured he would tire out long before he struck a good hit which is what Cathan had planned all along. At this rate, he'd be down for the count before the monoliths reached halfway lit and then he'd be in the one in need of rescue.

_Got to hold out long enough for Ophelia to rescue Stella. Come on, Lady, don't let me down._

A brief lull in the action allowed Brandon a breather. Cathan took this moment to taunt his opponent. "Tired, are we? I'm just getting started. Perhaps wearing all that fancy armor was a poor choice in battlewear."

He had a point. Brandon's fighting style relied more on brute strength than speed; endurance instead of agility. His weapon of choice was usually the broadsword because it enabled him to take out a foe in just one blow. Usually his opponents were much bigger than him which made them slow and cumbersome. It was easy to get the drop on a troll, an ogre, or a decay monster; but when faced with something faster he resorted to a more defensive style. "The best way to defeat an enemy more mobile than you is to force him to attack something that isn't mobile" – The Forty-fifth rule of Heroics. Brandon had to find a way to nullify Cathan's advantage in speed else he won't last much longer.

"Catch your breath? Good." Cathan lunged at Brandon, his sword tip aimed right for his head. The speed at which he moved was incredible. How can anyone move that fast was beyond him! His whip-like reflexes made him too fast for Brandon to counter with his sword but he used one of his armguards as a blunt object to nudge the sword upward and away from his vulnerable face. Feeling that he had Cathan at a loss, Brandon sought to turn things around only Cathan was already halfway through a spinning back-kick when he thought of it. By that time, the nobleman's boot came smashing into Brandon's chest, sending the Eraklyonite flying.

"Come now, Master Brandon. Surely the princess chose you for more than your rugged good looks," Cathan said.

Picking himself up, Brandon turned. "You hitting on me now?"

"Oh I'll do more than hit you." A thunderous roar went up as Cathan leaped into the air. He brought up his sword for a fierce downward slash. Brandon jumped clear and rolled as he hit the ground. Cathan's sword screamed as it hit the marble floor, leaving an ugly slice.

Brandon turned just as Cathan pointed his sword at him. "Frost." His sword lit up and fired off an icy beam of energy. Brandon used his sword as a shield, blocking the beam which slowly pushed him back. His armored feet scraping across the floor, Brandon trying in vain to stem the tide. When it suddenly stopped he fell to one knee, his hands near frozen by the blast. "What was that?"

"An old family heirloom. This sword was used by my great-great-great-great grandfather who slew the great wyrm of Cobalt Canyon. It is passed down only to the finest warriors of our house."

"I thought this was a duel."

"A duel to the death has no rules, Master Brandon. Here we play for keeps."

"Good to know," Brandon muttered. "Least now I don't have to hold back."

"No. But I suggest you hold on."

"To what?"

"This!" Cathan lunged at him and pulled back a punch so strong his arm shook. Brandon was ready for it and brought up his sword to block but just as the hit came in, Cathan changed direction in a blink of an eye and turned the punch into an uppercut which struck him right in the gut. The sheer power behind that blow was like being hit by a speeding transport. Without the armor to protect him, Brandon was sure he wouldn't have had any ribs left standing.

He flew back; skidding so hard across the floor he left skid marks. Coughing, Brandon could taste blood. _He's using magic. Son of a bitch is using magic!_

Cathan smirked from where he stood. "Things don't look good for you." He took a moment to look at the monoliths. Five were already glowing – almost halfway.

"You don't have much time left. By now the temperature inside the chamber will be approaching unbearable magnitudes."

"Cathan!" Brandon slowly rose to one knee, using his sword for support. Gasping, for the pain in his stomach was brutal, he glared. "You are worse than any of the monsters I've ever fought. I wouldn't waste half a punch on you if I could avoid it."

This made the nobleman laugh. "Harsh words; but words nonetheless. I find your quips most amusing."

"Then I'll just have to let my sword do all the talking." With that, Brandon stood and raised his sword. "Now stop talking and get over here!"

"As you wish." Cathan attacked. His footwork was too fast for Brandon to follow. Brandon brought back his sword and fired a downward slash. The attack shattered the marble floor Cathan was at a moment ago. The nobleman sidestepped as if skipping causally over a rock. "Over here!"

Brandon attacked again, breaking the floor once more.

Cathan enjoyed toying with him. The game of cat and mouse continued with Cathan dodging each of Brandon's hastily-performed swipes. All he was doing was making one hole after the other, tearing apart the beautifully-crafted floor with his barbaric swordplay. Brandon was getting sloppy and soon he was breathing heavily. His chest heaved and he soon realized how much his carelessness had cost him.

Cathan took a moment to pause and take in the view. "You look pathetic, Master Brandon. Or should I call you, Mistress Brandon?"

"I find your quips most amusing," Brandon said.

"Heh." Cathan raised his sword again, tip first. "Frost." The blast struck Brandon head-on but he endured it, using his sword to deflect the beam as best he could. When it was over, he charged – leaping into the air and with a loud cry smashed the spot where Cathan was just standing. "Too slow."

Enraged, Brandon attacked again, continuing his ineffective and self-defeating tactics. Soon he could barely stand. He used his sword as a crutch. "Dammit."

Brandon was surrounded by pot marks. Cathan stood at the edge of the ruined surface, taunting him with his smile. "Yield?"

"Never."

"Good. You make for good sport. Even if you are just a commoner."

"There's nothing common about me. I am what I am. That's all I need to defeat you."

"I doubt it. But if you wish to go to the afterlife believing that then fine by me. Just so you know," Cathan readied for another attack. "That in the end," He jumped, "You still lost!" His sword created a silver arc as it cut the air, coming down on Brandon's so hard that is forced him onto his knees. Brandon cried out but held fast. With Cathan looming over him, his greater strength and girth weighing down on him, Brandon could not move. "Face it, boy! You are a failure! The only good thing that will come of you being here is that you will provide the catalyst for a new Solaria; one where the king is no more and the great houses will rule once again. The princess will be sacrificed and you along with her. Your deaths will usher in a new age and our kingdom will become glorious once again."

Brandon grit his teeth.

"You are fortunate. It is not by my hand that you will die but the king's! Once he finds out it was you who murdered his only daughter nothing I could muster in my darkest imaginations would compare with what he will do to you. My only regret is that Stella will not be alive to see it; to see the consequences of shaming one's homeland brought to light before all her subjects." His eyes glowed with ravenous fire. "Do you see it? Do you understand? I do this not for myself but for Solaria. Always for Solaria!"

"Shut up!"

"It is you who will be silenced! You and that slut of a girlfriend who parades herself as a princess!"

"AHHHHH!" Brandon suddenly reared up, forcing Cathan back three steps. His body tensed so much that it felt as if it would shatter the armor he wore from within. Teeth bared, foam bubbling at the mouth, he looked ready to tear Cathan to bits. "I am so sick of your shit!"

"Do not speak to me in that manner!"

"Fuck you!" Brandon pushed him back further.

"Very well! It is time I finished this!" Cathan stepped back to get a clear shot of Brandon…only his foot fell into a hole left over from Brandon's previous swings. "What?!"

Brandon moved in during this distraction and fired off a punch that sent Cathan's teeth rattling and his head swimming. The nobleman stumbled until he fell down on his back. Tasting blood, his ire increased tenfold. "You cur! I won't leave anything for the king to deal with. I'll kill you right here!"

Cathan got up and used his superior speed to close the distance between he and Brandon. Only this time he tripped on a piece of stone kicked up by Brandon's sword. He stumbled, giving Brandon a perfect chance for a knee to the gut. Cathan doubled over, his eyes bulging and cried out as the butt of Brandon's sword connected with his back. He fell face-first, his nose cracking on the hard, marble floor.

"Get up!" Brandon pulled him to his feet with one hand. He suddenly forgot about his sword, dropping it in favor of pummeling the man with his own two fists. This had become a brawl, a form of combat Brandon was only too familiar with. He punched Cathan again; face, stomach, ribs, head, he held nothing back. By the time the last punch hit, Cathan's face was a bloody mess. He crumbled to the ground, blood seeping out of his many wounds. When he did not get back up, Brandon just glared at him, his breath coming out hot. "Solaria deserves better than you. Stella will make sure of it."

Settling down, Brandon regarded the monoliths. Eight of them were now lit up. Just four more to go before the temple became a giant furnace. "Stella," He said and did a quick turn to reach for his sword. Funny how he didn't need the blade to finish off that jerk. Still, he'd thank Lady Ophelia for the gesture.

Brandon removed the sword from the rubble and prepared to charge into the temple. Something cold and hard penetrated his back and came out the front. Brandon cried out, dropping his sword. Looking down, he found the end of Cathan's sword protruding from his chest. Behind him, he heard the angry breathing of a man who suddenly had the upper hand. "We are not finished," He growled into his ear.

--

"Help! Somebody get me out of here!" Stella's voice grew coarse over the amount of time she'd spent screaming. "If you help me I promise you free facials at the royal spa!" Nothing. "Well it was worth a try."

Stella was sweating bullets. The moon was almost at its zenith and the room was getting hotter. It was difficult to breath. Stella feared she would pass out at any moment so she tried desperately to free herself. The bonds on her wrists and ankles were too strong and she gave in after tiring herself out.

"This sucks. The princess of Solaria boiled to a crisp by the moon." She thought on it. "Whoa, now there's an oxymoron."

"Princess!" Came a voice. Female.

"Over here!" Stella faintly recognized the voice and called to it. "Inside the chamber!"

She could hear the sound of rushing footsteps and the heavy breathing of one tired girl. "Hurry! It's getting hot in here."

Suddenly the steps slowed. "Princess!" They trotted up to her until a figure knelt by her side. "Hang on. I'm going to free you."

"Ophelia?"

"Yes. Please hold still."

"Like I have a choice. What are you doing here?"

"I am aiding your lover in your rescue. Now how does this open?"

"My lover? Oh! Brandon's here?"

"Yes. He is fighting Lord Cathan as we speak."

"I knew my snookums would come to my rescue. Boy do I know how to pick em' or what?" Stella then realized what Ophelia was doing. "Uh, I tried that already. It won't budge."

Ophelia tried in vain to pull the bondages off. They were stuck to the floor and would not give.

"See if there's a key somewhere," Stella suggested.

"There isn't one. They are a part of the floor."

"Well find a crowbar or something and break them off."

"That would hurt you more than it did them. Besides, this is moonstone. It's stronger than any metal found anywhere on Solaria."

"Then what?"

"I don't know." Ophelia said. "Perhaps Gareth might know of a way."

"Gareth? On you mean that hood guy? That jerk! Where is he?"

"Laying unconscious outside."

"Well wake him up! My skin's starting to peel."

"Even if I did, there is no way I would be able to return in time to free you. In a manner of minutes the moonlight will flood this entire chamber and we will not survive. I can't use my magic inside these walls and it's a long way back the way I came."

"So we're going to fry?!"

Ophelia thought on it. "I…I don't think so. Let me try something." Sitting on her knees, Ophelia closed her eyes and seemed to meditate.

"Um…Ophelia…honey? Can you seek Enlightenment some other time? I'm almost as dark as my friend Layla!"

"Quiet please." Ophelia concentrated. Little by little, a light blue aura surrounded her body. "Ancestors," she began. "Please help me." She stretched out her hands, palms down, holding them over Stella. Then she began to speak in a language the princess did not recognize but seemed vaguely familiar for some reason. The glow went from Ophelia to Stella until the bonds sank back into the floor.

"How?" Stella sat up just as the glow disappeared from Ophelia's body. "How did you do that?"

"I…" Ophelia tried to speak but then collapsed onto Stella. "I'm…sorry. I feel…so weak right now."

"Ophelia!"

The air around them grew even hotter and Stella could barely see with all the sweat pouring down her face. "Hang on, girl. We're getting out of here." Stella helped the noblewoman to her feet and together they left the celestial chamber. Little did they know they were just two monoliths away from total oblivion.

--

His legs buckling, Brandon lost his balance and fell, his sword clattering beside him. Had Cathan struck just a few centimeters to the left he would have pierced his heart. Whether that was his intent or not was irrelevant. Brandon was bleeding…a lot! He could not stem the flow but watch as his life seeped out from the hole in his chest.

Behind him, Lord Cathan, while badly ravaged by Brandon's fists, stood tall and proud. Some teeth were missing and his left eye was halfway shut, but he was not out of the fight yet. "I knew it," he began. "I knew you could never understand what I'm doing. I should think you'd be honored by what your death would accomplish but I see you now for what you truly are: an animal…a beast not fit to wear that armor. What little respect I had for you is long gone, Master Brandon. Suffice it to say I'll shed no tears when it is your time to die."

Brandon was gasping aloud. He'd never been run through before. Damn this hurt! How could he be so stupid! Codatorta always told him that you should never turn your back on anything but a corpse. One mistake could very well cost him the duel…and his life.

"How does it feel, animal?" Cathan stepped up beside him. "Knowing you're about to die!" With one powerful kick he forced Brandon over. "Tell me! I'm dying to know." Cathan brought his foot up and smashed it down on Brandon's chest. The Eraklyonite howled in pain. "Well? Have you lost your tongue as well as your pride? Not that you had any pride to begin with. Only nobles have pride. That is why we rule!" He applied more pressure and Brandon screamed.

"I hate you," Cathan stated. "I hate all of you. My family and I sacrificed everything to protect people like you and your repay us with disrespect! The people owe us their lives. They will praise us as they did in the old days and we will reclaim the proper reverence we always deserve."

Brandon squirmed weakly under his boot.

"There was a time," Cathan went on. "When I actually believed in the monarchy. I thought the king and queen would restore honor to Solaria. But it was not so. The queen left and the king betrayed us. He listens to his daughter, taking her advice over his most trusted advisors. What does some teenaged girl know that the lords and ladies of the court do not? She's ruining everything. How can the people not see that? Don't they understand we want what is best for them?"

Grabbing his leg, Brandon wanted to get his attention. "People…have to make…their own decisions."

"People are too stupid."

"No…they're…not."

"Of course you'd disagree. You're one of them."

"So…are…you. Great houses…are not born overnight." Brandon struggled through the pain. "All great civilizations start off as people just trying to create a home for themselves. Leaders are needed…so people create governments. Their job is to protect the people…and make sure their needs are met. It is the government that serves…not the people."

Cathan chuckled. "What rubbish is this?"

"Without the common people, there is no civilization, no culture. It is they who are the spirit of Solaria, not the houses."

"How dare…"

"Who do you serve, Lord Cathan?"

"What?"

"Who-Do-You-Serve?" Brandon's words were through grit teeth.

"I serve my house. I serve Solaria."

"No! You serve the people. They look to you for guidance because they, not you, are the ones who gave you that power over them. Only they can take it away. You exist because they want you to exist. Without them, you are nothing."

"Silence!" Cathan stepped on him more and Brandon wailed. "How many of my brothers have died in their service and they still mock us? Don't you think we deserve more than their contempt?"

"Stella is not trying to destroy you." Blood seeped out of his mouth. "She only wants to make things better. But she can't do it alone. People need leaders, the wisest among them who can rule justly and with compassion. If there's any suffering to be had it's a system that acknowledges one group's superiority over the other. That never works."

"But even you said people need leaders."

"Leaders who care about them. Leaders who put the people's needs over their own. Dammit, Cathan, you're going to destroy everything you're trying to save!"

"You're wrong!"

"Am I? Look at you. You can't even fight a fair duel. Is that the kind of honor you're trying to protect? You're so blind with hate you've lost sight of what you're fighting for!"

"Enough!" Cathan knelt on Brandon and pointed his sword at his throat. "Allow me to let you in on a little secret, Brandon. Remember when I said it would be the king who slays you and not I? Well when he sees it was you who failed to save the princess when she needed you most, it will tarnish not only Eraklyon's reputation but Red Fountain's as well. That school has lost its way ever since it started letting commoners like you into its halls. Your actions will bring about its downfall."

"King Radius will never believe I had anything to do with this."

"You think so? Well let me ask you something. Why do you think I ordered my men to leave the temple fearing the king's soldiers were surrounding us?"

That gave Brandon pause.

"It's simple." Cathan smiled. "I wanted to, as you say, cover all my bases. I knew you couldn't have obtained that armor by yourself. You had help, preferably the help of someone who could use magic." Cathan leaned in so that they were face to face. "Did you not think I noticed Lady Ophelia with you when I kidnapped the princess? Do you know what she can do? She's a practioner of transmutation. It was she who gave you the sword and armor. What's more, I figured she would be with you so in some shape or form…say, a cloak? At first I thought Gareth was being paranoid but when I saw the armor I realized his suspicions were right." Pausing, Cathan looked over at Gareth. "You snuck her in as a cloak and had intended her to rescue the princess while we fought, didn't you?"

Brandon's face told him he was right.

"I may be as bad as those monsters you say you fight but I am a thousand times smarter. I brought up the barrier because I did not want her escaping and I know full well she won't be able to use her magic inside the temple. And here's another thing." Cathan turned to the temple. "She wont' be able to break the bonds holding the princess. Hence they'll both be trapped; unable to escape the temple. Ophelia was the only other person than you who knew what I was planning and now the secret will die with her. All thanks to you."

"No…"

"Yes." He laughed. "Try as you might, boy, you'll never be as smart or as cunning as a nobleman. Observe."

Only one monolith remained unlit and its time was coming. "Behold the MOON!"

At that moment, the moon shone brighter than ever. The final monolith began to glow and moonlight burst forth from the temple. The Temple of a Thousand Stars had become the brightest object in all of Solaria.

Brandon and Cathan turned their heads; the latter laughing. The heat reached their skin but it would pale in comparison to what the girls would be feeling now. Without the proper wards, anyone inside the temple would be burned to a crisp. A cone of pure energy went from the top of the temple towards the moon itself. It was a brilliant sight.

After a full minute, the light relaxed to tolerable levels and the men could see again.

"It's over," Cathan gloated. "All impediments are gone…save one." Cathan looked to Brandon. "While the king may want to kill you himself, I'll just say your blasphemous words forced me to remove your tongue." He raised his sword. "And I won't bother with the privilege of a last word."

And just then Cathan was blasted clear off Brandon, landing twenty feet away.

"If anyone's going to have the last word around here it's going to be me!" Stella cried. "And don't you dare lay a hand on my snookums again!"

"Stella?" Brandon weakly raised his head in her general direction.

In her fairy form, Stella was a sight to behold. She stood with hands on hips, her honey eyes glaring daggers at the downed nobleman. Beside her and a little behind stood Lady Ophelia, weak but standing.

Cathan struggled to his knees. "It…can't be. You're supposed to be dead."

"Disappointed much? Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in, shit-for-brains?"

"Princess!" Ophelia exclaimed.

"I can't help it. I'm pissed." Stella then noticed Brandon's condition. "Brandon!" She flew to his side, her eyes watering at seeing all the blood. "What did he do to you?"

Reaching up to rub her cheek, Brandon could only smile. "It's good to see you again, Stel."

"Likewise." She held onto his hand.

"Master Brandon!" Ophelia struggled to get to them despite her weakened state. When she did, she sat down and looked him over. "I'm afraid I can't heal you with this armor. Excuse me." She waved her hand and Brandon's golden armor disappeared, replaced by his former clothes. The sword vanished as well. With a wave, Ophelia used the same spell she used to heal his prior wounds back on the street. "The cut is deep but can be mended." She did just that. "There. I've spent the last of my magic. It is not yet fully healed but I stopped the bleeding and cauterized the wound."

"Thank you, Ophelia." Brandon sat up, looking at her with newfound respect. "For everything."

"Thanks." Stella gave her a hug.

"But I don't get it," Brandon started when they separated. "Cathan said you wouldn't be able to use your magic in there. How did you free Stella?"

"I'd like to know that too."

They both looked at Ophelia who turned away. "There are things I'd rather not say."

"But how did you escape?"

Stella answered that one. "We knew we couldn't reach the exit in time so we did the next best thing. We climbed to the promenade and jumped at the last minute. I transformed midway and stopped us from becoming a splat on the ground."

At that, Brandon laughed. "That's my girl."

"You know it."

"No!" Cathan was getting back up, sword in hand. "This isn't over."

"It so is." Stella stood and aimed an energy blast at him when Brandon's hand grabbed hers. "Huh?"

"Let me handle this."

"But snookums."

"Trust me. It needs to be like this." With a look she'd never seen in his eye, Brandon turned to face Cathan one last time.

"He is using magic to boost his abilities. There's no way you'd stand a chance against him," Ophelia warned. She and Stella, being magical beings themselves, could sense the aura all around him.

But Stella knew what to do. "Let's even the odds. _Negatus_." With a wave of her hand, all the magic around Cathan dissipated, leaving him mortal. "There."

"Thanks, ladies." Brandon walked toward him.

"But don't you need a weapon?" Ophelia asked.

"Not for him."

They watched him approach Cathan with slow, heavy steps. They could feel Brandon's anger from here. Ophelia clenched Stella's arm as they watched in stark silence.

Meanwhile, Cathan could not help but smirk. "Even without my magic, I am still more than a match for you."

"Let's find out."

"You won't even wield a weapon?"

"I am the weapon."

Now Cathan laughed. "As you wish. I will send you on your merry way…" He lowered his stance and readied his sword. "To your meeting…" His eyes flashed. "With the Grim Reaper!"

The girls watched in horror as Cathan charged and Brandon did not move. He just stood there, staring Cathan down with cold eyes. At the last moment, Ophelia screamed and Stella could not turn away. Cathan ran Brandon threw, his sword coming out the other end. "No…" She muttered.

Cathan slowly looked up, his eyes meeting Brandon. Brandon did not even blink.

"Brandon!" Stella cried.

"Why?" Cathan asked his adversary.

Their eyes locked, Brandon answered the only way he knew how. "I'm a hero. It's just what I do." Then he raised his hand. Cathan's sword was caught between his fingers, blood seeping down the metal shaft. Just at the last second, Brandon dodged the blade and grabbed it. From the angle they were standing, it looked as if he'd been stabbed but it was not so. If the wound hurt, Brandon did well to hide it. He showed no emotion as she casually plucked the sword from Cathan's hand and tossed it aside.

Then he started punching Cathan.

"This is for STELLA!" One in the face.

"This is for OPHELIA!" In the gut.

"SOLARIA!" In the nose.

"RED FOUNTAIN!" The throat.

"THE KING!" The chin.

"HONOR! NOBILITY! JUSTICE! STRENGTH! COURAGE! CHARACTER! LOVE! FRIENDSHIP! TRUTH! LOYALTY!"

By the time he finished, Cathan was near bowling over. His eyes fluttering, they focused on Brandon once more. The youth reared back for one more. "And this…" Placing the remainder of his derision for this man into that final blow, he let it flow. "IS FOR YOU!" The hit sounded like a hammer hitting a rock and Cathan flew back. He landed with a heavy thud and went still. A moment later his body jerked from a spasm and then did not move any more. It was over.

Brandon walked to him. Looking down on him now, Brandon remembered the reason he chose to become a specialist in the first place. It was to protect people from things like him. One need not be a monster to be a monster.

The barrier deactivated and the temple returned to its original hue.

Brandon loomed over Cathan; his rage subsiding as the prospect of victory began to sink in. Sighing, he wiped the blood from his lips and spared one more look at Cathan. "See ya," He said and turned towards an overjoyed Stella and Ophelia.

--

Gareth watched the victors from afar. A buzzing sound alerted him to an incoming message. "Sir, we have the targets in our sight. Should we take them out?" He remained quiet. "Sir? Your orders? Do we take them out?"

Finally, Gareth gave in.

"Negative. Return home and await further instruction."

"But sir, what about Lord Cathan?"

"He is Lord no more. Evacuate the area immediately."

"Sir, I don' underst…"

"You have your orders!" He barked.

"Y-Yes sir. Returning to base."

Gareth could not believe it. Lord Cathan had disgraced them all with his actions. He's seen how he chose to fight. Dishonorable and despicable! How the mighty have fallen. Still, Gareth could not help but feel a certain sadness in his heart. A way of life was about to die and he had a feeling that Cathan's fall from grace was the beginning of the end. Things were about to change and like it or not, people like Gareth would have to change with it.

"And so it is." Pulling back his hood, the warrior removed the earpiece from his lobe. He didn't want any interruptions on the way home. Brushing back his hair, Gareth scratched the back of a pointed ear before turning and disappearing into the night.

--

Back at the palace, King Radius was a wreck after hearing everything that happened. To think a lord of a noble house would make an attempt on his daughter's life and the throne! He had trouble sitting still as the three youths divulged their story. When all was said and done, Radius had Cathan stripped of his rank and his unconscious body taken to the dungeon to await trial. His accomplices would be hunted down and dealt with accordingly.

When they had finished, Princess Stella gave special commendation to Brandon and Ophelia. "These are the real heroes, daddy. Without them, Cathan would have plunged Solaria into war and destruction. I'd say they're our new champions!"

"Indeed," King Radius agreed. "Then so it shall be. Lady Ophelia of House Corona and Master Brandon of Eraklyon shall hence be known as the honored champions of the realm. Praise them!" All gathered in the throne room, guards, guests, and servants, raised their voices so high that the whole palace shook.

Ophelia shied away from all this praise. Brandon reveled in it.

"This kingdom cannot thank you enough for what you have done, but for now let us enjoy the remainder of the festival. But let us also take note of the sacrifices that must be made to ensure the future," he looked at Stella, "the character" at Brandon, "and the honor of Solaria." The last look was directed at Ophelia. As the crowd returned to their merriment, King Radius approached the duchess and grasped her shoulders. "Your mother would be so proud of you, my lady. You've done more than restore honor to your house; you've restored our faith."

Ophelia could not help but cry. "T-thank you, my king."

"It is I who should thank you, Daughter of Solaria."

It was the most beautiful thing Ophelia had ever been called.

--

On the balcony overlooking the courtyard, Stella, Brandon, and Lady Ophelia went out for some fresh air. "Gotta say, you Solarians sure know how to throw a party."

"You should drop by on New Years. Or Carnival. Better yet, my birthday's coming up. I'm going to organize a bash so big they'll be talking about it for centuries!" Stella exclaimed.

"Am I invited?"

She turned to Ophelia and grabbed her hands. "Of course, silly. I invite all of my friends."

"It's just that the last time I was at your birthday, things didn't go too well."

"Water under the bridge. You're always welcome in my palace, girlfriend."

"Thank you, my princess."

"Call me Stella."

"It would not be proper."

"You're too wound up. I know what'll help. Hugs!" She pulled her in to a tight embrace.

Brandon laughed. "Looks like you're one of the gang now, Ophelia. A word of warning. Once Stella grabs hold she never lets go."

"Damn straight." She stood back. "Say, what say I drop by Corona next weekend? We can hang. I've never seen the Crystal Waterfalls. You'll take me there won't you?"

"It will be my honor."

"Great!"

Ophelia retuned Stella's hug – she then regarded Brandon. "Master Brandon."

"Just Brandon."

"Brandon, I…" She blushed. "I want to thank you."

He looked confused. "Thank me? For what?"

"For opening my eyes. I've learned much from observing you and the princess. But you in particular have displayed a level of disposition I have not seen before. My entire outlook on nobility has changed since meeting you. I know now that it is not birth or name that makes one noble, but what is in their heart. For this, I thank you. And…I will miss you." She twiddled her fingers. "Are there any…more like you at Red Fountain?"

Brandon bit back a laugh. "Well I do have friends. They're pretty cool once you get to know them."

Stella came around to him. "What he means is there are a lot of great guys at RF, but there's only one Brandon. Ain't that right, snookums?"

"Afraid so."

Ophelia nodded her understanding.

"Hey, girl," Stella called. "Red Fountain holds a lot of events now that they got a new campus and all. What say you drop by next time?" She winked. "Lot of hotties."

Ophelia blushed. "I will keep my calendar open."

The door to the balcony opened and Renault stepped in. "Begging your pardon, your highness," He addressed Stella and then Brandon. "Lord Brandon."

_Lord Brandon? I like the sound of that!_

"Lady Ophelia," He addressed the duchess. "But a Red Fountain craft has arrived."

"That's my ride."

"Shall I tell the pilot to be expecting you soon?"

"Thank you, Renault."

"My pleasure, Lord Brandon." He left.

"I could get used to that."

"You fit the part, no question," Stella said.

"Indeed." Ophelia took a step back and curtsied. "This has been a most interesting night but I'm afraid I must retire. There are a great many duties awaiting upon my return to Corona and many changes to be made." She looked up at them. "Many changes."

"Not too many I hope," Brandon said.

"Yeah. Change is cool and all but not at the cost of what makes us special. Solaria is special and we're going to keep it that way."

Ophelia took her leave. "Farewell."

With Ophelia gone it was just the two of them.

"Alone again." Stella smirked. "Now where were we?" she leaned in to kiss him.

"Stella." Brandon held her back.

"What is it, snookums?"

"I gotta tell ya. A lot happened tonight that got me thinking."

"And?"

"Well. I learned that we shouldn't waste what time we have. I almost lost you tonight and…well, I think we should take our relationship to the next level."

"The next level? But we're already boyfriend and girlfriend. Unless you mean…" she gasped. "Whoa! Brandon I love you, but don't you think this is rushing it a bit? We're still in school!"

"I mean I want you to become my fiancée."

"Oh. That's cool."

"Then let's make it official." Reaching into his back pocket, he was amazed it survived after all this, Brandon removed a small box. "In Eraklyon we have a tradition. When a man wants to get serious with a woman, he gives her a gift straight from his heart. It's something he makes. Something he spends days, sometimes weeks working on. It's not perfect and I needed Sky's help at a few points but," Opening the lid, Brandon revealed a thin necklace with a chocolate-colored stone. "This is for you."

"Brandon." She was mesmerized. "It's beautiful."

"We call it the Pact of Gemini." In a flash, there was two. The second necklace was the same as Stella's except its stone was the color of Stella's eyes. "This one is mine. We both wear them as a symbol of our feelings for each other, and for hopes of the future."

"Brandon." She cooed as he put the chocolate one around her and then did the same for him. "Stella," He began. "I love you. No matter what happens I want you to know that I will always be there for you. I give to you my heart, my soul, and my life." He paused briefly. "Will you do the same?"

"Yes." Her answer was immediate.

Brandon smiled. "That's my girl."

"Forever and ever," she giggled. Leaning in, they shared a deep kiss, oblivious to the thousands of stars that bore witness to their love.

--

Sky was reading a magazine when Brandon arrived. "Boy you look happy. I take it she took the bait?"

"Hook, line, and sinker."

"Congrats, man. You and Stella were made for each other," Sky said as he pressed the button to pull in the ramp and rev up the engines. "And to think you were so worried. I told you she'd love it."

"You were right." Brandon took his seat beside his friend and laid back as the ship climbed into the sky. He watched the city spread out before him with mixed feelings. So much had happened in just one night; so much that Brandon would never be the same again. A part of him will always remain on Solaria. This place had a magic to it that defied description. He realized it was more than the people, or the buildings, or the music, or the history…it was something in the air – something that reached down into your very soul and made you realize who you are. His heart remained, and always will remain, with Stella. But this realm had claimed his soul.

"So," Sky asked as they broke through the atmosphere and plunged into deep space. "How was Solaria? Looked like there was a hell of a party going on down there."

Brandon shrugged. "It was alright."

"Alright? I know you better than that, Brandon. What aren't you telling me?"

"It's just,"

"Yeah?"

Breathing in, Brandon turned to watch the world disappear into the night. "It's something you have to experience for yourself."


End file.
